Salman ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ Khan: Things that I do on screen, I want to do them in real life

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In ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’, the superstar is propagating communal harmony. Salman Khan, a Muslim, plays Pavan Kumar Chaturvedi, a devotee of Hindu god Hanuman. “My parents belong to two different religions and I am a strong believer of secularism. So, are most Indians. All my life, I have seen skull-cap wearing Muslims dancing at Ganesh puja and Hindus visiting dargahs,” he says.

Over the past few years, Salman Khan has assumed the image of a big-hearted soul spreading the message of love, peace and humanity, similar to what he is seen doing in Bajrangi Bhaijaan. The roles he has played in movies such as Bodyguard (2011), Jai Ho (2014) and Kick (2014) have contributed to this image.

Salman Khan’s box-office record in the past five years have been unquestionable even though he has played essentially similar characters with superficial variations. According to the actor, he has always been “experimenting”. “In Bajrangi, my character belongs to a family of wrestlers. Much to the disappointment of his father, he cannot be one because he is ticklish. In Sultan, I play a professional wrestler for which I will have to gain 10 kg, bulk up and learn mixed martial arts,” says the actor.

Will ‘Prem Ratan Dhan Payo’, his other release in 2015 with old collaborator Sooraj Barjatya, bring back Prem? In the director’s films in the ’90s, Khan had become synonymous with soft, romantic leads, far from his present-day action hero avatar. “You will see when the film comes out in November,” says Khan.

The actor acknowledges that a section of his audience is not his fan. “Yes, there is always 10 per cent of the audience who one will not be able to please. Even they buy a ticket and watch my movie when it releases,” he adds.

sankhayan.ghosh@expressindia.com