“Success Se Insaan Ka Dimaag Kharab Nahi Hona Chahiye Aur Failure Se Depression Nahi Aana Chahiye”- Salman Khan

Jyothi Venkatesh

Directed by Prabhudheva, ‘Dabangg 3’ stars Salman Khan, Sonakshi Sinha, South superstar Sudeep and debutant Saiee Manjrekar in lead roles. It is slated to hit the theatres on December 20, 2019.At the song launch of Munna Badnaam Hua at J. W Marriott, SALMAN KHAN talks about how his father Salim Khan has asked him not to take stress over the success of Dabangg 3 and the status on his future projects like Radhe : The Most Wanted Cop and Kick 2 and tells JYOTHI VENKATESH that Dabangg 3 will also be dubbed in Tamil, Telugu Kannada and released along with the Hindi original

Salman Khan is coming back with third film in his action –cop franchise Dabangg 3 on December 20. However this time around, you have decided not going to promote it in a grand scale as per the buzz. Why?

I have been promoting the film through social media, after we had launched the trailer. I am very busy shooting for my next film Radhe: The Most Wanted Cop, and hence juggling between this film’s shoot and my reality show Bigg Boss. But my team feels that the little they speak about the film, it will help them to arouse curiosity among my fans.

 Is it true that your father and veteran screenwriter Salim Khan, who is usually critical of your work, has advised you not to worry about the outcome of your upcoming cop-action film, Dabangg 3?

My father is very critical about our movies. Most of the times, he straight away tells us, this film has gone Beta, forget about it. He used the same words for this film (Dabangg 3) but in a positive manner, saying, forget about it, don't take stress over this film, don't let the success of this film get to your head, and work hard for the next film. Th8is, by itself is a great compliment to Arbaz and myself.

Is it true that you have dubbed in Tamil for Dabangg 3 ?

I dubbed in Tamil not for the Tamil dubbed version but for the film's trailer. I showed it to my director Prabhudheva. Prabhu heard it and said, "Sir, what language (are you speaking in)?' He said we would get a good dubbing artist for the Tamil version, and I said he should let me try. He told me, 'sir, you concentrate on Hindi dubbing' (laughs). But, yes, besides the Hindi original version, Dabangg 3 is also releasing in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada"

With Dabangg 3, you return in your popular cop avatar of Chulbul Pandey . What do you have to say about the ongoing storm over the Hud Hud Dabangg song, saying a certain section of people are trying to gain publicity by dragging the number unnecessarily into a controversy?.

"I am glad people consider it (Dabangg 3) a big film. Earlier, when we did Bajrangi Bhaijaan, there was a controversy regarding its title but it was dismissed. So, such controversies are part and parcel of this industry. I don't think there is anything objectionable in the film because of which a controversy can be created.

Will you work as an item boy for other producers, now that you have done the job in the item number Munna Badnaam Hua along with Prabhu Devaa ?

It's doubtful. It will be only be possible if I will work for free. Jokes apart, we tried to destroy this song actually. We tried to make it worse than the first one but it just turned out well! God has been on our side. We were looking for a befitting replica of Munni Badnaam Hui, and suddenly one day -- at about 1:30 in the morning -- I called up Arbaaz (Khan) and told him that I have the 'tode'. So, he came home in an excited manner and I spent an hour with him, after which I told him Munna Badnaam Hua so, after which he abused me and went home.

Awara is the fifth song from Dabangg 3, after Hud Hud Dabangg, Naina Lade, Yu Karke and Munna Badnaam Hua.Is it true that you have sung the song Yu Karke yourself?

Awara is in sharp contrast to Yu Karke, another track from Dabangg 3. Yu Karke has been picturised on Sonakshi Sinha and me, and depicts our present-day love story. Yu Karke is extra special for me because I have myself sung the song, along with Payal Dev. Sharing a promo of Yu Karke on Instagram, I ahd written Dabangg 3 ka naya gaana, 'Yu Karke', suno humaari yaani ki aap sabhi ke favourite Chulbul Pandey ki aawaaz mein #YuKarke Song."

Is Mahesh Manjrekar’s daughter Saiee Manjrekar being introduced as your romantic interest with Dabangg 3 in addition to Sonaklshi Sinha?

Awara is a song of first love and will be part of Chulbul Pandey's flashback story. The song has been picturised by Prabhu Deva on a younger Chulbul and his first love, Khushi, essayed by Saiee Manjrekar.

Is it true that after Dabangg 3, your next release is going to be Radhe: The Most Wanted Cop?

Yes. I think my next release after Dabangg 3 will be Radhe: The Most Wanted Cop , which opens on my lucky festival of the year, Eid, in 2020.

What next? Is Kick on the anvil too, besides Radhe:The Most Wanted Cop?

After the release of Dabangg 3, I will concentrate on Radhe :The Most Wanted Cop and after it is completed, I will begin work on Sajid Nadiadwala’s Kick 2 by early next year . Like in Kick, I have been paired with Jacqueline Fernandez.

Which will be your next Diwali release? The last one was Sooraj Barjatya's Prem Ratan Dhan Payo way back in Diwali 2015

The day Sooraj Barjatya makes the next film, it will release in Diwali.

Do you plan to take forward the Dabangg franchise after the release of Dabangg 3?

We stopped talking about Dabangg 3 much before we started making it. We have started talking about Dabangg 4!

You seem to be an all rounder as far as Dabangg 3 is concerned and have a role to play in each and every department. Is it true?

I have worked on script of this film and hence want all the critics to criticize it. This film is for the critics (laughs). If we get bashing for this film then it will be not only in Mumbai but Chennai and Bangalore and the entire country. But if people will appreciate the film then, it will also resonate with the entire country.

Is it your strategy to work in remakes of South Indian hits like Wanted, Ready & Bodyguard and Kick , besides Dabangg ?

It is just a sheer coincidence that three films of mine have been remakes of South Indian hit films, like Wanted, Ready and Bodyguard. Ek Tha Tiger or Dabangg were not remakes of South Indian films. Besides the fact that several punches from Dabangg have been lifted by quite a few South Indian films of late, they have even remade Dabangg in Tamil and the Tamil remake of 3 Idiots was made by Shankar who had made Robot. I did not consciously plan any strategy. It is just that when you remake a Hollywood film, the whole world has already seen that but when you set out to make a remake of a South Indian hit, only the South Indians have been able to see them. It is now the reverse.

What is the reason you were liked in South Indian remakes?

The reason people have liked me in films like Wanted and Dabangg is that heroism was brought back in these films with the hero emerging as a larger than life character. Down South, they have not let heroism go away and hence the masses go to South Indian flicks in large numbers in hordes even today. However, as far as Bollywood is concerned, it is the truth that we have started missing heroes’ big time. I agreed to act in Wanted because around that time, I really was fed up of watching the so called niche films or rom com films and wanted to go to a theatre and see a hero film with all the herogiri.

What is your take on hits and flops?

As a person, I do not change whether my film clicks at the box office in a big way or turns out to be a disaster at the ticket windows. Today luckily people call me a lucky mascot just because my films are clicking one after the other but there was a time when my films were bombing big time left right and centre but I did not panic at all and took them I my stride waiting for the tide to change for the better. I would say that you actually go two steps forward when you get a kick in your arse. I have always been of the opinion that success se insaan ka dimaag kharab nahi hona chahiye aur failure se depression nahi aana chahiye.

What is the biggest challenge that you have to face as an actor today?

I was appreciated when I made my debut as a leading man in Maine Pyar Kiya after I had made a small cameo role in Biwi Ho To Aisi with Renu Arya three decades ago. Today when I am 53, I am expected to work ten times better than what I was expected to do 22 years back, when there was no baggage with me. The older you grow, the better you have to work, whether you are a director or for that matter an actor

Your brothers Sohail Khan and Arbaaz Khan have taken up direction. When are you following suit?

Though it is true that I take interest in every department of the film in which I am acting, whether it is the subject or the music or the action sequences, I still feel that I am not ready to be the captain of the ship. I do not want to dabble in direction, though I know for a fact that my colleagues like Sunny Deol, Ajay Devgn and Aamir Khan have already dabbled in direction.

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Tags: Bollywood, Bollywood News, Bollywood Updates, Television, Telly News,  Salman Khan, Interview, Dabangg 3