Asira Tarannum (MID-DAY; January 12, 2015)

Unlike the previous years, this edition of Saifai Mahotsav was a low-key affair. But, a bevy of Bollywood stars including Hrithik Roshan, Parineeti Chopra and Jacqueline Fernandez added glamour to the event held in Saifai, the ancestral village of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Buzz is that Jacqueline was paid a whopping Rs 75 lakh for her three-minute performance on the closing day of the 14-day festival. Says a source, “The Mahotsav attracts ministers, top notch officers, corporate honchos and the glitterati. All film stars who perform there charge a lot of money. The big surprise this year was Jacqueline being paid Rs 75 lakh for a three-minute act.”

This time round, Hrithik was the only Bollywood A-lister at the event, which concluded on January 8. Apart from Parineeti and Jacqueline, Huma Qureshi and Richa Chadha also performed. The Saifai show has, in the past, hosted actors like Salman Khan and Madhuri Dixit and was in the eye of a storm last year as it was held soon after the Muzaffarnagar riots that claimed 38 lives.

Jacqueline remained unavailable for comment.

"Bhatt saab, no need for apology, Alia's upbringing is great. I was proud to share the stage with her. She earns her living with hardwork and dignity," Salman posted on microblogging site Twitter Saturday.

Mahesh Bhatt had apologised for letting Alia perform at the Saifai Mahotsav organised by Samajwadi Party chief and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Alia's sister, actress Pooja Bhatt also took to her father's defense and said that he had "not failed as a father".  "Mahesh Bhatt, you have not failed as a father. Alia needs representation that has a far more sensitised and astute world view. End of story," Pooja tweeted Saturday.

Several Bollywood stars were flown in in a chartered jet and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav too has been criticised for spending money on the actors while this could have been used for the relief and rehabilitation of the Muzaffarnagar riot victims.

The other celebrities who performed in the festival included Madhuri Dixit, Ranveer Singh, Mallika Sherawat, Varun Dhawan, Sidharth Malhotra, Remo, Sajid Wajid and Hard Kaur.

Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 11, 2014)

Salman Khan is angry. Not just on screen but off it too. He takes a chair in front of Daisy Shah's vanity van in the parking lot of Mehboob Studio. “Kya karoon? How can I convince people that my intentions are true, yeh naatak nahin hai?” he wonders, stirring his green tea vigorously.

What has provoked this soulsearching angst? Salman Khan ko gussa kyon aata hai? The actor has been watching news anchors dissect the Saifai Mahotsav which saw Mulayam Singh and Akhilesh Yadav enjoy Bollywood glamour, even as riot victims froze in Muzzafarnagar. Salman was among those who made an appearance, in exchange of a rumoured fee of six crores.

“Whether I get paid Rs 6 crore, Rs 8 crore or Rs 12 crore, it’s my hardearned money. I’m an actor who gets paid to entertain. Two lakh people watched me perform that evening,” he glowers. “That money will be used to take care of the hospital bills of 250 kids and I bought equipment for a medical college in Aligarh. That’s more than what the shawl wearing folk, standing outside their sarkari bungalows, pointing fingers at me, will do. I was at a college in Nagpur before I flew to Saifai. Did anyone bother about what I did there?”

His friend-turned-foe-turned-friend Shah Rukh Khan has taken up for him, saying it is “unfair to nitpick on Bollywood” as they are just doing their “job” as entertainers. Despite this show of unity, buzz is that when the two stars were in the same studio recently but avoided each other.

“Shah Rukh is doing his job, I’m doing mine. If our eyes lock we will say ‘Hi’. Our relationship can never be what it once was, not now when both of us are so busy,” he reasons.

SRK may not be a ‘good friend’, but Aamir Khan and Hrithik Roshan are. Salman has lent them an ear when they hit a low in their personal lives. “Aamir is a great guy. Hrithik came to my farmhouse, we chilled out together, speaking about work... everything. They are mature grown-up men who know how to handle their relationships," he protests.

But the 48 year old admits that his chequered love-life is a smorgasbord of life lessons, many of them learnt the hard way. “If a person wants to go you cannot stop her from leaving. I’ve tried everything, from anger to emotional blackmail, from fights to tears, from possessiveness to gyaanbaazi. If they’d liked me enough, they would not have moved on. But if they’d stayed on it and been unhappy it would've filled me with guilt,” he admits.

And how does he feel when his exes find new love? “I’m happy for them because they are all amazing people. I still care for and respect them but I understand that I have no place in their lives anymore so I stay away. I don’t want someone to be blamed because of the love we once shared,” he says quietly.

So what’s the status quo with Katrina Kaif today? Salman says that she used to be a friend, but today she is ‘somebody else’s friend’. “I respect that and I stay away because I don’t want to give someone a reason to tell her, ‘Oh you are still in touch with Salman’. The past should not intrude on the present,” he asserts.

Would he attend her wedding? “If I am invited, I will.” And what about walking down the aisle himself? He’s 48 and still single.“There was a time when I wanted to get married but it didn’t happen. Today I’m no longer ready for it. And I say this to anyone who comes into my life. There’s no scope for a serious relationship or marriage,” he avers.

The actor insists that he is happy with his life. “I travel a lot, I’m getting into production now. When you have someone in your life you need to give them time and attention. In the initial stages all’s well. Then the fights start and the reprimands, ‘You weren’t like this before’. I’ve heard it all before,” he sighs.

That’s a pity given that he’s looking better and fitter than he ever has. He looks away, embarrassed, saying he’s pushed his workouts to the next level now. Is that wise, given his health problems? Salman admits over-training could pose a problem.

“My analogen level is still 3.8 and for some people even 1.5 has proved fatal. But people with 6-8 have lived on for years too, if they avoid stress. I too try to be chilled out. It’s my fight; I have to suffer through it. At least the pain is gone," he shrugs.

But does he not play an angry activist in his next, Jai Ho? That sets him off again. “Jai Ho is not about yalgaar, going to war. It’s about a common man who joins hand with a good politician to bring down a bad neta. It’s about a man’s personal fight for his family and friends,” he says. “And it’s not about AAP or Arvind Kejriwal."

What about his own political affiliations? “I’ll campaign for anyone who will contribute to my Being Human charity. I will be a hard negotiator because every paisa will be spent on the needy. But my vote always goes to Priya Dutt and Baba Siddiqui. I’m a Bandra boy, I’ve known them since my childhood. I’m not voting Congress, I’d vote for them even if they belonged to another party,” he insists.

Politicians are not the only ones who get his goat, reality TV contestants also do. He has hosted four seasons of Bigg Boss, but buzz is that he was not happy with the inmates' antics and may not return for the next season. “I’ve left it open. But the show didn’t make me as angry as what is happening now. On my own TV show I'll expose all these corrupt people,” he promises.

He's excited about the Hero remake, his debut production. But his hero Sooraj Pancholi has the Jiah Khan suicide still hanging on his head. What if some new controversy flared up? “If it does we will take it head on. Some small people do it to get publicity. We have become soft targets.” There, Salman Khan ko gussa phir aa gaya.

Sonali Joshi Pitale (MID-DAY; January 10, 2014)

On Wednesday night, a galaxy of Bollywood stars – including Salman Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Mallika Sherawat, Elli Avram, Karishma Tanna and Alia Bhatt - flew to Uttar Pradesh to take part in Saifai festival, organised by politician Mulayam Singh Yadav. Given that the state has been in the news for the riots in Muzaffarnagar and the scores of people who have been rendered homeless, this 20 crore celebration is now being viewed as an ostentatious and insensitive affair.

Social media, for one, has already gone into an overdrive expressing anguish over the unabashed display of power and entertainment at a time when the state is reeling under the impact of riots and could have easily directed the sum towards helping needy refugees. Says an insider, “This was no charity event; all the stars were paid handsomely. In fact, the decision to make Madhuri’s latest film tax free in the state has also not been received well in some sections.” Not surprisingly, stars who participated in the event have now come under the scanner.

This wave of scrutiny has now led to celeb clarifications. For instance, Salman posted on his facebook page that whenever he visits a place for a performance or a promotion, he looks for opportunities to help the locals – be it in the areas of healthcare or education. “In Etawah, Being Human, on behalf of all artists who performed yesterday, has committed to fund 200 paediatric heart surgeries in UP,” says his post, while Eli Avram and Alia Bhatt remained unavailable for comment.

Meanwhile, some actors believe that performing at the festival is part of their job. “As an actor, it’s my job to entertain and perform at different platforms. My heart goes out to the people who have suffered in the state but in all honesty, if actors like Salman and Madhuri can perform at such an event, then I don’t see why I can’t do the same,” says actress Karishma Tanna.