Salman Khan on plans to take the Dabangg franchise forward even after a prequel; bringing Chulbul, Radhe and Devil in a crossover film and being approached by Farhan Akhtar with a script
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 12, 2019)

He arrives like the star he is. And instantly, the slumbering parking lot of Mehboob Studio comes alive. Flashbulbs pop as Bhai strikes a pose. There are journalists waiting to meet Salman Khan and a Bangladeshi cricketer too. He obliges some of those waiting, before beckoning you to take two chairs, one stacked on top of the other so you are at his eye level. Excerpts:

This time, we believe you have been credited with the story, screenplay and dialogue. What makes Dabangg 3 different from the earlier two films?
When I heard the story of the first Dabangg, which Dilip Shukla had written, I liked the plot but thought the character wasn’t noble. There were no songs, he was grey, corrupt and ruthless. I changed him into the Chulbul Pandey you see, and it worked. There was a lot of angst. The mother passes away, after which he accepts his father and brother as family. That script was not mine; we retained the mota mota plot and made the scenes more massy and today, with a different kind of swagger. If you were to meet Chulbul on the road, toh aap usey maroge because he’ll appear arrogant and badtameez. But on screen, you like him. He does tedha things but for the right reasons. Like the zehreela sharab scene in Dabangg was negative but uska fayda was positive.

In Dabangg 2, they wanted just Chulbul, without the family. I argued that Chulbul worked because of his mother, father, Makkhan Chand Pandey, Bobby ji, Tiwari ji, Pichkari ji, Rajjo, everyone. How could I take them out? So, we retained them.

The third part is about how Chulbul became the man he is. We’ve dug up his past, there’s pain. It’s an emotional vendetta story.

At a time when filmmakers are struggling with sequels, you’re coming with a prequel…
We have Dabangg 4 written too.

Yeah you are going up to Dabangg 743 as you mentioned in our last interview. Seriously, how do these ideas happen?
(Laughs) They just come about. Sometimes, one film gives you an idea for the next. In Dabangg 3, we explore why Rajjo’s father was an alcoholic and how Chulbul met her. Aap jab picture dekhoge toh aapko samajh mein aayega kahan kahan se nikle hain hum.

After two films, today, the minute I walk into the Dabangg set, I stop being Salman Khan, the actor, and become Chulbul Pandey. Ditto, Sonakshi who transforms instantly into Rajjo. That’s how it is with the whole cast; we’ve become a real family.

Do you have a personal connection with Chulbul?
Well, I’m writing it, playing the character, so there has to be some thought behind it.

The director this time is Prabhudheva and he knows the pulse of the audience…
Yeah, that’s why he’s in the film. Arbaaz (Khan, brother and the director of Dabangg 2) would take time to understand, his BP would shoot up and down. So, this time, the first thing he said was that he wouldn’t direct the film and we should get someone else. I suggested Prabhu, and his reaction was, “Fantastic!” Prabhu is very receptive, he gets what I want to say in a second. Language is a problem with him, so I have to explain things to him, but once he gets it, he executes it beautifully... Larger-than-life, with humour and emotion. Bang on! With a film like Dabangg, we go from high point to high point. We’re not pakaoing anyone. The message comes through the scenes.

Even before Dabangg 3 was complete, you announced Radhe with Prabhu. Obviously, you have a lot of confidence in him and he reiterates you share a great equation, which is rare...
Yes, we have a good working relationship and I believe one shouldn’t spoil that. We were looking for a director for Radhe. My friend Prashant suggested Prabhu. I recalled he had told me that after Dabangg 3, he was going on a two-month holiday, but Prashant urged me to speak to him and Prabhu agreed. The script was halfway through. I was working on a film at the time... I don’t remember the name... and it was to come out on Eid, which didn’t happen…

Inshallah with Sanjay Leela Bhansali? Wasn’t that the film?
Inshallah… Inshallah… Radhe is happening Inshallah on Eid. We are working day in and day out to put it out on Eid.

You were saying Radhe’s script was ready…
With us, plots are always ready, then, they evolve. You write at home, in a hotel or an office. But then, when you come on the sets, the story changes with the setting.

Radhe is also your story?
No, but we have made a lot of changes.

Eid is your date…
No, it’s not, it’s nobody’s date, anyone is welcome to release a film on the day. It’s just that my films happen to come on Eid. Actually, my last film, Bharat, released during Ramadan, three days before Eid. And now, Dabangg 3 is arriving on Christmas. I’ve had releases during Diwali and Republic Day too. Any festive day is a good day.

Next Eid, Akshay Kumar’s Laxmmi Bomb is releasing with Radhe...
Yes, and there is scope for another two-three films to come on that day. Then, the audience decides which film to spend on. Agar picture achhi lagi, they will watch it. If they don’t, toh nahin dekhenge, festive date ho ya koi bhi date ho.

Bharat has made a lot of money at the box-office. But do you think the scale of the film magnified the expectations?
Not really. I just thought towards the end, the father should have come back. That was my problem with the film. But aaj kal ke yeh new people think that a reunion with the father is a cliché. Father ki age kya hogi? Uski story kya hogi? I don’t give a damn, he should have come back.

Yes, the film did phenomenal business, my sister (Alvira) is happy, we’re happy with the product. But if we had shown a 70-year-old man and a 90-year-old man having a conversation, it would have been a more emotionally satisfying film. Bharat’s whole journey was about him waiting for his father to come back to him. So, for me, the film looked incomplete.

Talking about fathers, Salim Khan saab recently said that Farhan Akhtar has come to you with a script and you have liked it. Is the film happening?
I don’t know. Farhan has come to me with a script and I like him. He is like a kid brother; he has grown up with us. That bond will always be there with Zoya (Akhtar) and him. They are like my younger siblings.

Rohit Shetty and you have been talking too. Will Chulbul Pandey join Rohit’s cop universe, with Singham and Simmba?
Chulbul is a universe within himself. So is Singham.

This is a separate film, then?
Nothing’s finalised. We’ve been talking about other things too.

But Kick 2 is definitely happening and we are told it could arrive in December 2021?
It could.

How does it feel to bring Devil back? He has his own fans...
Yeah, one thing I want to do later is bring Kick’s Devil, Dabangg’s Chulbul Pandey and Radhe together.

That’s a wonderful idea. If The Avengers can do it, why not Salman Khan. Are you joking or is it a possibility?
No, I have something in mind.

Kick is Sajid’s film. He is not just a producer but a good friend...
Yes, he’s like a brother to us.

And what is it like bringing him back as a director?
(Laughs) He didn’t even know he was directing Kick, he got to know on Twitter.

You have introduced several newcomers to Hindi cinema, not just technicians but actors, too. From Sonakshi Sinha to Saiee Manjrekar now...
Saiee is a sigh of relief for the industry. Watch out for her.

We have heard that she is playing a mute in the film, no dialogue, speechless… True?
Nooo, you guys will be speechless when you see her. I’d introduced Sonakshi at an award show and this time too, I took Saiee along. As soon as we faced the paparazzi, they started saying, we want solo pictures of her. So, I thought, ho gaya Saiee ka. Rocket Singh, straight out! Then, I heard this comment, “Saiee, tu sahi aahes.”

We thought you were introducing Saiee’s sister, Ashwami? Are you?
We don’t have anything right now, but she is very talented.

How does Bigg Boss feel after all these years? It’s become a part of you?
Yeah, a part of mine wants to cut that part and throw it out and the other part wants to keep it. And the latter is haavi on the part that wants to throw it out.

You don’t like the show?
I like it. It gets stressful, but I learn a lot. And I get to know where the country is going, what is happening to values, morals, scruples and principles. We see it right there, with celebrities. The beauty is once they are out of the house, they are not like that at all. It’s not as if they are giving performances, the house makes them like that.

Has being in a particular place changed your personality?
No.

What’s happening with Sohail Khan’s film Sher Khan?
That film requires a lot of visual effects. After it is shot, it will take six-eight months, almost a year, for it to be ready. After the next two-three films, Sher Khan goes on the floors. It’s beautiful.

I’m not going to ask you about marriage this time…
Okay.

…But whenever I see you with kids, I feel a child is missing out on a really good father.
Even I feel that way.

Are there plans of having a child through adoption, surrogacy, though that’s outlawed...
No, not yet.

So, no plans?
No, when it happens, it happens.

How will it happen?
(With a straight face) I can’t describe the whole process to you.

What I mean is that you don’t want to get married or adopt…
There are enough kids in the house. Another child will be born now, in December.

Would you like to raise your sister Arpita’s child?
No, Arpita does a fantastic job of raising her child, in fact, she is raising all of us correctly right now.

Your dad, even at 84, is all there…
Yeah, because there were five of us, and now many more, so he has to be all there.

It’s wonderful how he knows everything that is happening with all your projects.
I share things with him when he is sitting across the table, tell him the basic plot. He will say, “Yeh galat hai, isey nikalo.” When he sees the film, too, there are times he says, “Yahaan mazaa nahin aa raha hai, isey nikalo.” Some bits we do listen to.

Did he have any suggestions for Dabangg 3?
No.

Hiren Kotwani (DNA; June 12, 2019)

Even as his Eid outing, Bharat, is showing in cinemas, Salman Khan is apparently planning a project with his youngest bhai Sohail Khan — jungle adventure Sher Khan. This will be one of the several projects that Dabangg Khan has in the pipeline. The Bollywood superstar has scheduled his next two releases — Prabhudheva-directorial Dabangg 3 on December 20 and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s InshaAllah on Eid 2020. After that, there is Sajid Nadiadwala’s Kick 2 and possibly a movie with Rohit Shetty, apart from Sohail’s pet project.

Sher Khan first made news about seven years ago.

However, back then, the Khan brothers weren’t too pleased with the way the script was turning out. So, they put it on the back-burner and Sohail made Jai Ho (2014), instead. It’s likely that they will crack the script in the coming months.

“Even though Sher Khan was put on hold, its writing had not stopped. The brainstorming continued and now, a considerable portion of the script has been completed. The adventure film will also have a good dose of VFX, which is also being incorporated in the screenplay,” says our source, adding that the Khans are hopeful of cracking the screenplay by the time Dabangg 3 releases.

The insider adds, “The Khan clan is pleased with the way the script has turned out so far. Naturally, if they can lock it by the first quarter of 2020, then Salman would like to work on Sher Khan after Inshallah wraps up.” As for Kick 2, our source tells us that work on the script is still underway. Sajid Nadiadwala, who directed Salman’s 2014 Eid blockbuster, will helm the sequel too.

Our source sums up, “Sohail is the darling of the family. And Salim Khan saab and Salman absolutely dote on him. Given that Alvira and Atul’s Bharat is out and Arbaaz’s Dabangg 3 is under-production, Salman is looking to line up Sher Khan. Since they have finished a considerable portion of the script and are likely to lock it in the coming months, it won’t be surprising if Salman decides to do it after completing Inshallah.”

IT’S ALL IN THE FAMILY
In the last 10 years, Salman has had films with his siblings, one after the other. After Arbaaz’s maiden production venture, Dabangg (2010), he had Ready (June 2011), on which Sohail was one of the producers, followed by his 2011 Eid release Bodyguard, which was produced by his sister Alvira Khan Agnihotri and brother-in-law Atul Agnihotri. The superstar’s Christmas 2012 outing Dabangg 2, which marked Arbaaz’s directorial debut, was followed by Sohail’s Jai Ho (2014). Now, post-Bharat (also produced by Alvira and Atul) and Dabangg (co-produced by Arbaaz), it looks like Sohail’s turn won’t be too far away.

Salman Khan says Boney Kapoor's Wanted and No Entry sequels are not on his filmography currently; will start work on brother Sohail's next
Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; June 15, 2018)

Salman Khan will soon start shooting for Ali Abbas Zafar's Bharat, co-produced by brother-in-law Atul Agnihotri. It's also believed that he will juggle the schedule with Dabangg 3, directed by brother Arbaaz Khan. While producer Boney Kapoor's Wanted 2 and No Entry Mein Entry were also in the pipeline, sources suggest that the star has put them on the back burner. He is likely to start work on brother Sohail Khan's next directorial venture, Sher Khan, instead.

A source tells mid-day, "Writer Kona Venkat, who scripted Salman's No Entry (2005) and Ready (2011), has finished writing Sher Khan's script. It's an out-and-out commercial drama. As soon as Salman Khan returns from the US and Canada leg of the Da-Bangg The Tour in July, he will start shooting for Bharat, followed by Dabangg 3. Sohail is currently busy with the pre-production work of Sher Khan. Once he is done finalising the cast, Salman will start shooting for it."

Khan, who is flooded with offers, says Boney Kapoor's films are not on his calendar yet. "There is no Wanted or No Entry sequel happening," he says, adding, "I'm doing Bharat, Dabangg 3 and Sher Khan. I want to do something that I instantly like. I take up films only if they excite me immediately. If something is narrated to me and I am like, 'I will tell you tomorrow' or 'I need some time to think', it's never happening."

When contacted, Kapoor sounded annoyed. He said, "You have already heard it from Salman, so you should go with his word. I don't want to comment on this further." Meanwhile, talking about his other projects, Khan says, "I am waiting for the Kick 2 script to be finalised. Then there is a dance film with Remo D'Souza and one with Sanjay Leela Bhansali. He will narrate the script to me soon."

Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; December 20, 2017)

Salman Khan’s Tiger Zinda Hai, which releases this Friday, is a sequel to his hit espionage thriller Ek Tha Tiger. It has all the ingredients that go into a Dabangg Khan film — high-octane action sequences, romance, and emotion. Most importantly, the movie brings him back in his macho larger-than-life avatar, which is much-needed after his previous outing as the slow-witted man-child in Tubelight failed. Now, Salman vows that he is done with different kind of cinema. Interestingly, all his forthcoming films are sequels of tried-and-tested hits. Excerpts from our chat with the one-man industry...

Why did it take so long to come up with a sequel to Ek Tha Tiger?
The recall value of Ek Tha Tiger (ETT), Dabangg, and Wanted is so strong that it is easy to pull off a sequel, but that’s only if your script is better than the first one. Sequels should not be like proposals; they should have something definitive to convey. Until such time, you should not touch it. The sequel of ETT has taken five years, though it could have been made earlier. It’s not as if there were four-five scripts (and nothing happened), they came up with only one script and that was it. The first thing I heard about the sequel was its title. When they told me it was going to be called Tiger Zinda Hai (TZH), I said done!

Kabir Khan directed ETT, but Ali Abbas Zafar is helming TZH...
(Cuts in) Yes, the first thing I told Ali was that Kabir had invested a year-and-a-half and given two-and-a-half hours screen time to Ek Tha Tiger. He had set the characters so well — Tiger, Zoya, and Chinoy. All Ali had to do was to take it to the next level. He had to not only make a film completely different from Sultan, but also make Tiger bigger. I told him ‘you have to get the plot right, the mission right, everything else — romance, gaane-waane ho jayenge’. Everything has to be there and on a larger scale. He said, he has the best plot ever and everything fell into place.

You are reuniting with Katrina Kaif five years after Ek Tha Tiger. How is it working with her now?
Katrina is the most hard-working girl that I have come across. She is sincere, dedicated and sharp. Sometimes people are so beautiful that you don’t give them credit for their work. That’s what has happened with Katrina. Her beauty takes away from her work. While, sometimes with those who are not so great looking, you say, ‘kya kaam kiya hai’. People who are really good looking on screen, you say star hai.  For this film, I don’t see anyone other than Katrina fitting in. She trained for her action sequences for four hours every single day.

Your last release Tubelight in which you played a man-child did not do well. Looks like your fans don’t appreciate you moving away from your image...
Yes, I got to know that in the last film. But I have known this earlier because of Kyun Ki and Tere Naam. However, when the script of this film (Tubelight) came to me, this was my reading of the film — I thought times have changed. People want to see me in something different — they say ‘you take your stardom seriously’. Now, I have realised that my fans want to see me in the same kind of cinema that I have been doing. So, that is exactly what they are going to get. Starting with Tiger Zinda Hai, Bharat, Race 3, Dabangg 3 and the Kick sequel, I will give my fans exactly what they expect of me. Frankly, even I like doing these kind of films. In fact, I like watching these kind of films. Films like Tubelight, I can watch on TV — badi emotional hai rula deti hai. Main kyun jaaon theatre rone ke liye? Emotions will always be there — our films don’t work without them. But if the entire film is so emotional ki theatre ke bahar nikalte hi your eyes are swollen, I wouldn’t want to go there.

But Tere Naam did well..
Yes, the first half did well because the character was superb. So, they tried Kyun Ki after that, but I told them there was no emotion in this, ‘You are making a depressing film’, and that’s what happened. Similarly after Bajrangi Bhaijaan, they thought we should do something with emotions and Tubelight happened jaha pe bhai peet rahe hai. Woh accha nahi laga fans ko. But when you see these films on TV, you will like them. When Andaz Apna Apna released it didn’t do well, but when it is shown on TV nobody changes the channel, same thing with Hello Brother. These films still get high TRPs on TV. When you see Tubelight at home you will love it.

What went wrong with Tubelight according to you?
The release date was not right. On a festive release date (Eid) you should give a festive film only, and not make people cry in the theatre. My fans were trying to find moments where they can celebrate, throw coins and do dhamaal masti. But they didn’t get that! The film did well, but in my standards it was a disaster. Meri dua hai ke har ek ki aisi disaster ho!

Do you feel you can find a middle path and do films like Dear Zindagi and Secret Superstar where Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan respectively had small but strong roles?
I have not gotten any film like that. Earlier, in some films I have done guest appearance and all, but it didn’t work. My take on this is when the audience is spending Rs 650 or Rs 950 on a ticket, they should get to see what they are going to see. If the whole publicity is going to be in my name, and I am there only for 25 minutes, it doesn’t make any sense to me. If I am in a film I should be there the way people expect me to, otherwise don’t publicise it as my film!

You were to co-produce Kesari with Karan Johar, but you backed out. Why?
Karan has his home production and I have mine. He had come to me long back with the project, but he did all the work from casting to everything. I thought just adding my name was not right.

There are reports that your brother Sohail Khan wants to make a sequel to Partner. Is that happening?
I am not aware of it. We did talk about it some time ago, though. However, Sohail and I are working on another film, Sher Khan, next year. I have started working a little harder and more than I was earlier, now. Fans want to see more of you. Usually I do two films a year, plus I am seen on TV where they get to see their star free of cost hosting shows.

Will you be hosting 10 Ka Dum next year?
Yes. That’s where they will get to see the real me.

What about Bigg Boss. Will you be hosting that also?
There will be 10 Ka Dum, then Bigg Boss, then 10 Ka Dum (laughs).

Comedies are doing well lately, Golmaal Again was a huge hit. Will we see you doing a comedy any time soon?
Yes, the genre is doing very well and I would love to do a comedy, something like Ready. A family comedy where Anees Bazmee meets Sooraj Barjatya!

After Jai Ho, Sohail Khan will work on a rom-com with younger stars 
Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 8, 2014)

When we met Sohail Khan at his Pali Hill home, he was preparing to make the school-run with son Nirvaan. Given the last minute hiccups that come with a film’s release, the Salman Khan starrer Jai Ho in this case, we expected the filmmaker to be nervous. But Sohail was chilled out and a candid conversation followed. Excerpts:
 
You were working on Sher Khan and suddenly switched tracks to Jai Ho, the Hindi remake of Chiranjeevi’s 2006 Telugu hit Stalin. Why?
When we started talking with the studios, we realised that Sher Khan would need more prep before it rolled-- six to eight months on the storyboard, then a recee and so on. Meanwhile, I’d seen Stalin and though at the time I was happier producing films for directors like David Dhawan (Partner and Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya), I wanted to direct this film in Hindi. It had a social message while being paisa vasool entertainment.

After a long time there was the urge to direct again. I got Salman bhai to see the film, he asked me how I’d approach it. In a couple of weeks, I got back to him with my ideas and we were on.
 
And is Sher Khan off?
Initially we’d planned for one team to work on Sher Khan simultaneously, but soon Jai Ho got so big that we had to pull in everyone. The script’s ready but technology gets upgraded everyday and equipment becomes redundant within six months. Salman bhai’s dates are with Sajid Nadiadwala, Sooraj (Barjatya) and he also has the No Entry sequel. We won’t get him before 2015-2016. We’ll need a year’s prep and will get started on Sher Khan when we get his dates.
 
Reportedly Salman watched Life Of Pi and the VFX tiger inspired him to work on the technology for Sher Khan?
I saw Life Of Pi, not him, and realised we needed to give Sher Khan more time. Life of Pi came three years ago, by the time we start on Sher Khan technology will be more advanced. Meanwhile, I can get started on another film, something that has been with me for a while.

It’s a breezy rom-com with a Hindu-Muslim twist titled My Punjabi Nikaah. After Jai Ho releases, I’ll revise the script and we can roll.
 
Will it star Salman?
Bhai has no dates till 2016, but any of the younger actors would fit the role.
 
You could opt for newcomers, like you did for Jai Ho? Apparently Sana Khaan and Daisy Shah were strongly recommended by Salman
Sana was on my wish list after I saw her on Bigg Boss, just like Salman bhai and Danny saab (Denzongpa) were. I could have taken any established heroine like Priyanka (Chopra) Deepika (Padukone) or Kareena (Kapoor), but I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to do justice to their presence. Sana and Daisy fit in perfectly. The film needed new faces.
 
Do you have the title Jai Ho? Isn’t it trademarked with AR Rahman?
The title was suggested by my dad (Salim Khan) after he saw the film. I approached IMPPA and AMPTTP expecting it to be registered with someone else. I was fifth on the list, after Samir Karnik, Madhu Mantena, Nikhil Advani, Madhur Bhandarkar and Ken Ghosh. I got release letters from them after which we put out a public notice. Since there were no objections, the title came to me.

After the first ad was out, I got a call from Rahman saab’s legal counsel, Dina Dattani, informing me the title was with him. Had I known, I'd have approached him too. I was told they had no objections but I'd have to sign a document stating they'd given the title away. I was game but since then I haven’t heard from the lady. AMPTTP and IMPAA asked me if they should approach him on my behalf since he hadn’t registered the title with them. I’m willing to negotiate with Rahman saab, I hold him in high regard, but there hasn't been any communication since.
 
Wasn’t the film called Mental earlier?
(Laughs) That was just a working title because we were all going mental. We were waiting to see 80 per cent of the film before a song or dialogue triggered off a suitable title.
 
Seems we will see you as an actor in Hello 2 next?
Hello 2? No, I wasn’t happy with the acting offers I was getting, so I decided to take a break. I’m open to good roles but at my age, I don’t have to be a part of the rat race.
 
How's Sholay 3D?
I haven’t seen it yet but classics should be restored and remade so the younger generation can connect with them. I’d love to make another Naam, the issues are still so contemporary. Also, Salman bhai's Judwaa, with one of the younger boys.