Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; May 24, 2017)

Apart from his simpleton turn in Tubelight, Salman Khan’s camaraderie with child actor Matin Rey Tangu has been much talked about. The teaser showed the little boy aiming a slingshot at the star, reminding fans of his iconic scene with Madhuri Dixit from 1994 hit, Hum Aapke Hain Koun! But it was by sheer coincidence that scene was woven into the film, explains director Kabir Khan.

“The kid [Matin] always carries a slingshot with him. It’s one of his quirks,” he says. Asked about comparisons with Madhuri’s scene, Kabir adds, “Let’s call it evolution; Madhuri has been replaced by Matin now! It was almost coincidental the shoot that such a scene be recreated in Tubelight.”

Casting for the child actor was no mean feat, Kabir adds, calling it a time consuming affair. “None of us was looking for an actor in a six-year-old. We wanted a wonderful child artiste who had the spunk and the ability to withstand a 100-day shoot. Making one perform is always a director’s job. Be it Matin here or Harshaali in Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015), we never cast actors. They are babies, after all. We went through over a 1,000 kids before finding Matin. He had the attitude and determination to last till the end.”

He feels Tubelight is Salman’s most special performance till date. “One of the main reasons I cast Salman in this film as well as in Bajrangi was his connection with kids.” As expected, Salman and Matin were inseparable on set, and the boy’s mother would get exasperated over how much the star pampered him, recalls Kabir. “His mom was strict, but Salman ensured he got anything and everything he demanded. They even used to have archery competitions on set, and went horse riding together."