The actor gets candid about his track record at the box office and challenges his critics to speak out loud in the open

Salman Khan is busy promoting his upcoming film, which also marks the debut of his brother Arbaaz Khan as a director. Khan who is known to hate giving interviews to the media is thankfully at his candid best today. Chilling between a series of tete-a-tetes at Bandra's Mehboob Studios, Salman Khan talks to us...

Is the upcoming sequel going to be your birthday treat?
If people enjoy the film then it is a Christmas and birthday treat. Agar picture nahi chali to kaunsa treat? Jis hisaab se humko reactions mille hai, they are similar to what the first Dabangg was, so I think we are in the safe zone. I think emotionally, ethically and principally this film is correct. It is larger than the earlier one but neither very similar to the first one, nor very different.

But these days audiences come to see only Salman Khan in a film?
No yaar. It's a whole package. Salman Khan ne bahut badi badi bhi di hai (flops). Now if I do a pakao film, which has lot of bhashanbaazi, no one will come to watch. Dabangg is a film which people can watch with their friends, family and girlfriend and have fun.

People talk about your successful streak now but you had given nine straight hits when you started your career?
Yes, there were nine films before Love flopped. That's why I say let the audience decide. Tab mera dimmag agar kharab hona hota to Maine Pyaar Kiya ke time ho jata, which had broken all records that time.

Then Hum Aapke Hain Kaun broke Maine Pyaar Kiya records. I had nine hits till Love came in and then there were disasters like Suryavanshi, Chand Ka Tukda, Chandramukhi, Jagruti and Nischai. I wanted to buy a house that time.
You signed these films because you wanted to buy a house?
I signed the best of the lot offered to me at the time. Nischai had Vinod Khanna in it and Jagruti was produced by the top action director that time so I thought action would be superb. But they didn't work. Love I thought was a superb film directed by Suresh Krishna but nahi chali. But I always knew that I had a Karan Arjun, Andaz Aapna Aapna and a Hum Aapne Hain Kaun to fall back on.

Andaz Aapna Aapna has become a cult film now...
But woh film bhi nahi chali. Cult film ka faida kya hai? Producer ka pack up ho gaya and he has not been able to make another film after that. Even Hello Brother is watched on DVD everywhere but faida kya? It was a disaster at the box office.


While you have a huge fan following on Twitter, there are also nasty comments on other social networking sites. How do you deal with such comments?
Atey hai. Kuch log to mujhe pata bhi hai jo mujhe uksane ke liye karte hai. But they do these from behind iron curtains. Samne aaakar bolo tab maaza aayee. I don't react to these tweets although sometimes it is difficult.