Salim Khan echoes son Salman’s ‘jo dar gaya, woh bach gaya’ remark on social distancing; explains why he’s had to stay away from family
Hiren Kotwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 10, 2020)

For several years now, veteran scriptwriter Salim Khan’s seafacing apartment in Bandra’s Bandstand has been an open house, with close friends of the Khan-daan often dropping by to meet one or the other member of the family. While his eldest son, Salman Khan, also holds fort at Galaxy Apartments—with a ground-floor apartment—younger sons Arbaaz and Sohail, stay barely a stone’s throw away.

However, Salman, who is extremely close to his father and mother, Salma, has been at the family’s farmhouse in Panvel for the last three weeks. He moved before the nation-wide lockdown was declared to contain the spread of Coronavirus. In a video he shared online recently, the Dabangg actor revealed that he hasn’t seen his father ever since. Nor has his nephew, Nirvaan (Sohail’s son), who is camping with him there. Recalling “Jo dar gaya, samjho mar gaya”—one of the famous punchlines delivered by Gabbar Singh, the antagonist of Sholay, which was written by Salim saab and Javed Akhtar—Salman admitted that he is afraid, but in the prevailing situation, “Jo dar gaya, wohi bach gaya”. Nirvaan echoed the statement.

When quizzed on the subject of social distancing, Salim saab asserts that as a family, the Khans are taking the shutdown as normally as possible. “Salman and Nirvaan can’t come here, so they are in Panvel. When they can come, they will. There also, they are at home and we are in constant touch over video calls,” he reasons, pointing out that as the son of a DIG of Police, he is a law-abiding citizen.

The 84-year-old veteran points out that there are other families staying apart and trying to stay connected through calls. “This situation is unprecedented, no one was prepared for it. If someone is infected and comes in contact with others, they may get ill too. People are dying because of this virus, so, we must take all precautionary measures, like washing hands, avoiding shaking hands, and whatever else the authorities are advising to avoid catching an infection,” he avers.

Though Salim saab does go for a stroll in his building compound if need be, he usually stays indoors because, as he points out, if we don’t follow the guidelines, it would get difficult for everyone. “We’ve made provisions for those who work for us, including drivers and house help, besides giving them masks and sanitisers. There are many people who are struggling and we are doing our bit to help them, like getting food packets delivered to them,” he says simply.

Salim saab has seen Salman’s post and echoes his sentiment. “This is not the time for false bravado. There is a disease, and people are dying since a vaccine is not available yet. What is dearest to you is your life, and that of your family and close ones. If something happens to one person, the whole family is impacted,” he maintains.

His family lost a dear one recently. The patriarch’s grand-nephew, Abdullah, passed away on March 31 at the age of 38 due to a heart-related ailment. The family is waiting till restrictions are eased to visit Abdullah’s family in Salim saab’s hometown, Indore. The loss is too recent to discuss, but before signing off, Salim saab warns, “Stay in, stay safe, stay healthy. Never take a step that will jeopardise your life and impact your family.”