Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; January 10, 2018)

Ever since they first collaborated on the 2016 wrestling drama, Sultan, Salman Khan and director Ali Abbas Zafar seem to have deciphered a working process that guarantees success. Soon after Khan told mid-day that he was looking forward to his third outing with Zafar, days after their recently released Tiger Zinda Hai crossed a whopping Rs 300 crore, Zafar appears to reiterate his actor's opinion.

"There is a secret method of working with Salman, and I will keep that information to myself," Zafar tells mid-day as whispers of the duo's third outing, Bharat, grow louder. The director alludes to using this comprehension to "reinvent" the image of the actor in the drama, which is inspired from the 2014 Korean film, Ode To My Father.

Though he recently confessed that he hopes to test his physical prowess with films that put his action skills to test, Khan, it appears, will not put his kicks and punches to use in Bharat. Zafar alludes to showcasing the man in a different light. "The face of Indian cinema is changing and you need to make a statement with every film. One must be open to experimenting with genres instead of sticking to one. To keep up with the current landscape, it is important to keep rediscovering the superstar that Salman Khan is. It is imperative that as a writer, I give him the material that enables him to discover new dimensions while portraying his character," he says. With exaggerated machismo becoming "redundant", highlighting Khan's softer side is only essential "to make him look real, palpable".

It may be argued that after spending several decades in Bollywood, the actor has only recently picked up discussion on backing content-driven cinema. But Zafar says it would be insensible to question Khan's cinematic knowledge. "Salman harbours new ideas. Couple that with the years of experience he has and you'll realise he's a powerhouse of knowledge. He watches contemporary movies, documentaries and shows spanning language. His conversations on movies are evolved because he is constantly learning. When you sit and have a conversation with him, you realise the extent of knowledge he has. It isn't limited to the cinema alone, but extends to socio-political topics too."