Salman Khan and Saif Ali Khan have spent a lot of time together and have been friends in the past. But for reasons best known to only the both of them, their relationship has not remained the same over the years. So when we heard about Salman having invited Saif to his special screening of Bajrangi Bhaijaan, we decided to talk to Saif about it. Excerpts.

Were you invited by Salman to Bajrangi Bhaijaan because of your wife Kareena being in the film?
I hope not. Salman, I know, would not do anything just for the sake of it. I have known him longer than I have known Kareena. So I would hope that our equation is not dependent on her and I felt very nice about it. I have always had the highest respect and love for Salman. I hadn't spoken to him for the longest time and was very happy to hear from him.

What did you think of his film Bajrangi Bhaijaan?
I loved it. I feel people involved in it are lucky as, if you are going to spend time making a movie, it might as well be a movie that relates to a subcontinent and not just cities. A lot of the movies that I do have selfish, flawed characters that relate to a niche audience. Salman's character in Bajrangi Bhaijaan is what an Indian hero is, and this is the kind of movie an Indian hero should do. It's a hard life for most people and what makes a hero is a guy who has a song on his lips, a kindness and is selfless, willing to go out of his way to help somebody else. It's a huge contribution to the general psyche of the country as it's progressive as it talks about not just peace with Pakistan but the treatment of religion even within India. It's done lightly and beautifully and really is a combination of Kabir and Salman's genius of selecting and realising that.

Salman and you in the past have been close. How would you qualify your relationship with him today?
He is someone I have known for a very long time and was the No.1 star when I had thought of joining movies. He is someone I just respect and look up to. I will always look up to him for many reasons. Public reasons, private reasons. We have done films and shows together. Over time, there have been some differences that have come up, which him and I best know about and that will always remain between him and me only. He is someone I have worked with, spent a lot of time with and he is someone I greatly admire as a brother. And that will never change.