by Subhash K Jha

Sanjay Leela Bhansali: "Salman is my brother and one of the dearest friends I've ever had. I've enjoyed working with him immensely in the two films we did together. And I'm looking forward to working in the third one.

I've a feeling all the good deeds that he has done in his life will rescue him from the current distress. Salman is a really beautiful person. I vouch for his goodness. Because he's a good man he always comes out of his troubles.."

Bunty Walia (poducer, events organizer): "I think Salman getting into trouble has got to do with his hot-blooded adrenaline-charged nature. Sometimes he doesn't know the repercussions of his action. Salman is everyone's favourite punching pag. He's not the media's favourite.

He sometimes rubs up media-persons the wrong way. So they don't think very kindly of him. All the cases that he's being punished for go back to years ago. He has to deal with these problems in a mature fashion, and I think he is.

I think he has sobered down considerably now. Everything that he does is blown out of proportions. All of us have fights with our girlfriends. But it doesn't make headlines. ...I was with the family in hospital. Salman's mom is much better now. I think she had an anxiety attack.

Because of his distance from the media, everyone thinks he or she's qualified to pass judgement on Salman. Only close friends know him for the person that he is. The smallest wrong deed of Salman is blown up into a tamasha.

There's a constant attempt to highlight Salman's miseries...that he was sleeping on the floor in Jodhpur, that the mosquitoes were biting him. They're making an example of him. Yes, he should be punished if he's guilty.

But the punishment shouldn't be so severe. It's not fair. Why don't you make an example of someone who has killed a tiger? Tigers are almost extinct. And what about Jessica Lal?

There were police officers present in the party where a helpless woman was shot dead. Here his case was fast-tracked to punish him. As an objective person and not just his friend, I feel Salman is being victimized because he doesn't answer back."

Commenting on the Rock Stars concerts of which Bunty Walia is one of the organizers, he says, "Provided Salman gets his bail and travel permit he'll of course be part of the Rock Stars concerts. But if he doesn't there'll have to be some major re-thinking to be done."