New Delhi, Jan 20 (IANS) Salman Khan is fed up of being repeatedly asked about his "Veer" co-star Zarine Khan's resemblance to his lady love Katrina Kaif. The star insists he knows that they don't look like each other at all.

The actor, who appeared on Zee TV's dance reality show "Dance India Dance 2", told the show's grandmaster Mithun Chakraborty: "Dada, the press guys are hell-bent on making me accept that Zarine ('Veer') looks like Katrina� and I'm tired of telling them she is not even close to her."

"Nobody knows Katrina better than me and I'm telling you guys, Zarine does not look like Katrina," he added.

Salman thoroughly enjoyed his stay on the sets, said a source.

When the actor saw the male participants lifting the girls high up in the air during their act, he joked: "Guys, now this is something I just cannot do! I may lift really heavy weights, bench press more than most men do but I can never lift a woman that high up in the air."

Releasing Friday, "Veer" is Salman's pet project. Written by the actor himself 20 years ago, the movie is set in colonial India.

Labels: Katrina-Kaif, Salman-Khan

Mumbai, Jan 20 (IANS) Director Anil Sharma admits he had creative differences with Salman Khan over the making of "Veer", penned by the actor himself, but everything was finally sorted out.

Anil Sharma, who earlier made "Gadar : Ek Prem Katha", told IANS: "Salman was not just the main actor in 'Veer', he was also the writer. We had a lot of differences of opinion. The way he narrated the story and the way I perceived it as a director were different.

"Moreover I brought in other writers Shailesh Verma, Shaktimaan (who wrote my 'Gadar') and Krishna Raghav. Raghav did all the research. So Salman's story has been interpreted in the way I thought right."

He said Salman insisted that Anil watch his source of inspiration, the Yul Brynner-Tony Curtis 1962 film "Taras Bulba". "But we couldn't get a single print of the film. So I had to make do with the images that I had in my mind from childhood.

"They made the film in Russia last year. I saw that version. 'Taras Bulba' was the story of the father Yul Brynner, played by Mithun Chakraborty in my film. 'Veer' is not the father's story. It's the son Salman's story. And we had to relocate the entire story from 16th century Russia to colonial India," Anil said.

While Salman Khan has become the face of "Veer", the director has taken a backseat so far.

Speaking up finally he says, "For three years now all kinds of things have been said and written about 'Veer' and my relationship with the project and actors. The truth is we were making a very difficult film. And there were bound to be creative differences. But we sorted them out."

Anil admits he never wanted Salman's favourite composers Sajid-Wajid to do the music of "Veer". "I had heard their tunes in his earlier films and I was sure Sajid -Wajid weren't the right ones for a period drama like 'Veer'. I met them reluctantly and was surprised by their understanding of Hindustani music. We worked really well together. And the fact that I could convince Gulzar saab to work with Sajid-Wajid was a stroke of luck."

He also brushes off talk of "Veer" being an epic like "Gadar".

"Please don't expect 'Gadar' in 'Veer'. 'Gadar' was far more dramatic and emotional. 'Veer' is targeted more at today's younger audiences," he said.

Talk is that Salman Khan had apparently first gone to his friend Sanjay Leela Bhansali to direct "Veer". When Bhansali declined, Salman vowed to make the same story with another director. Anil Sharma was chosen because of "Gadar".

Labels: Salman-Khan, Veer

New Delhi, Jan 19 (IANS) Salman Khan has often been in the news for his relationships and break-ups but the superstar says he is very particular about his commitments - whether personal or professional.

"I'm a very committed person. If it (a personal or official relationship) breaks, it's always the other person who breaks it and not me. I don't interfere that much because it matters a lot to me," Salman, who is currently dating actress Katrina Kaif, told reporters Tuesday at the FICCI Auditorium here.

"It goes on the same way from my side. When I commit (to someone or doing something), I stick to it," said the 44-year-old, who is said to have dated Aishwarya Rai, Sangeeta Bijlani and Somy Ali in the past.

The star was in the capital to promote his upcoming film "Veer", which releases Friday. The epic, which has been written by Salman himself, has been produced by Vijay Galani and Sunil A. Lulla.

It also marks the big screen debut of Zarine Khan in the female lead. Mithun Chakraborty, Sohail Khan and Jackie Shroff also play pivotal roles in the movie.

The macho star is also undeterred with the failures of period dramas in Bollywood, as both Shah Rukh Khan starrer "Asoka" (2001) and Aamir Khan's "Mangal Pandey: The Rising" (2005) have been box office duds.

"I've given my best and left it for the audiences to decide if it works or not... if it does, the credit will be everybody's and if it doesn't, then I will take the blame," he said.

Labels: Salman-Khan

New Delhi, Jan 19 (IANS) Bollywood star Salman Khan has joined the brigade of do-gooders to rehabilitate and educate children orphaned in terrorist attacks across the country.

Under an arrangement made jointly with the All India Anti-Terrorist Front, Salman Khan said he would undertake the humanitarian endeavour and "secure lives impacted by human disaster".

The Bollywood star known for his generosity made the announcement at a function he was felicitated with the Pride of the Nation award at the FICCI Auditorium here Tuesday.

Given for spreading the message of patriotism, secularism and national integration through his films, including his upcoming venture "Veer", releasing Friday, the actor was honoured at the Anti-Terrorist Front Veer Bravery Awards.

Organised by AIATF, the award was given to Salman Khan by its chairman Maninderjit Singh Bitta, himself a victim of terrorist attack, along with terrorist victims' children.

"It was a very different real-life experience and after witnessing the efforts made by the brave people, I have decided to join hands in the noble endeavour to help the affected children and other family members of the terrorist victims," said Salman in a statement.

"It will be a priority for me and Mr. Bitta now to start a rehabilitation program for the orphaned children of the terrorist victims. The arrangement for their education and career will be taken care of by us jointly as part of our humanitarian endeavour and secure lives impacted by human disaster," he added.

Labels: Salman-Khan

Mumbai, Jan 17 (IANS) Bollywood star Salman Khan is leaving no stone unturned to promote his upcoming period drama "Veer" that releases Friday, even if it means participating in a race with top jockeys.

Clad in a black t-shirt, blue jeans and donning a yellow helmet, the 44-year-old raced with six jockeys at the Mahalakshmi race course Sunday, winning the event and being awarded a trophy.

"I was a bit nervous (before the race). If I'd have lost, people would have thought Salman lost the race and if I'd have won then they would have said that he had to win because he is a star," Salman told reporters here after the race.

"But I'd like to clarify that it was not a set-up and was a genuine race. I gave my best along with the jockeys and so did they," he added.

The epic has been produced by Vijay Galani and Sunil A. Lulla. It has been written by Salman.

It also marks the big screen debut of Zarine Khan in the female lead. Mithun Chakraborty, Sohail Khan and Jackie Shroff also play pivotal roles in the movie.

Labels: Salman-Khan, Veer

Mumbai, Jan 11 (IANS) Salman Khan says period dramas usually give the impression that people in past eras never used to laugh, but promises that his new movie "Veer" will have its light moments.

"We haven't followed the regular format. This has emotion, drama and comedy unlike other period films, which always casts an impression that no one used to laugh in those days," Salman told IANS in an interview.

"The language has undergone a huge change. The dialogues are in contemporary language but would show that people of that time used to speak and behave like this," he added.

"Veer", slated to release Jan 22, is a story of bravery, treachery and love. The story revolves around the 18th century Pindaris who preferred death to dishonour and fought to their last breath to save their land. Salman plays the lead role.

Throwing light on how his co-star Zarine Khan joined the cast, Salman said: "The film is of a different genre, so we needed a young fresh look. More than that we needed somebody with a yesteryear look. How our grandmothers and great grandmothers used to look, we needed someone like them.

"Just two weeks were left to start the film and we didn't have anyone who would fit the role. We were searching left, right and centre and met her by coincidence on the set of Subhash Ghai's 'Yuvvraaj'."

Salman denies any resemblance between Zarine and his girlfriend Katrina Kaif.

"Except being fair and having a sharp nose, I don't see any similarity between them. Give god that credit for not making two people identical," said Salman.

The film's story has been written by Salman himself and while scripting it he was scared whether his father Salim Khan, a noted writer, would approve. "I showed the story to my father and the biggest fear was what is he going to say. But he said it's a good story."

When asked why he chose to make a period film now, he said, "I had written the story 20 years ago but at that time it wasn't possible to make the film. I thought now is the right time to make it, so I did."

This is Salman's second film as a scriptwriter. His first was the 1990 movie "Baghi" and there is a common thread running through both the scripts - the father-son relationship.

" 'Baghi' showed a good relationship between a father and son, 'Veer' does that too. I believe that father and son should be the best of friends. Today, my father and me chat, drink and chill out together.

"But if I cross my line, I run away. I stay outdoor for two months. That's the chemistry they should share. The respect should also be there," said Salman who claims that he could be a good father.

"I am not sure how good I would be as a husband, but I believe I would be a good father. One has to get married, I will also get married but haven't decided when."

The actor has been in the industry for more than two decades and has played a variety of roles, worked in various genres and sported different looks.

Asked if there was anything particular he looked forward to as an actor, he said, "No yaar. I do whatever comes my way."

Labels: Salman-Khan, Veer

New Delhi, Oct 26 (IANS) Never mind the long wait. From elderly women to college going students -- hordes of fans queued up outside the capital's Delite Cinema Monday for a glimpse of Bollywood star Salman Khan who came three hours late to open the advance bookings for his film "London Dreams".

"I came to just catch a glimpse of him in person and take his autograph on the ticket," 60-year-old Naseema Begum told IANS.

Abhishek Yadav wanted to buy the movie tickets from Salman in person. "I have been waiting here since 11 in the morning and don't plan to leave until I have bought a ticket from him," he said.

Jyotsna Grover, a student of Indraprastha College, was keen to get a hug from her favourite star. "I want his autograph and a picture with him. I am ready to buy all the tickets if I just get to hug him," said Jyotsna, who came with her friend Upasna Sen.

Clad in a 'Being Human' - his brand - white shirt and tattered blue jeans, the 43-year-old actor arrived with director-producer Vipul Shah in a black Audi SUV. His arrival brought the traffic at the Asaf Ali Road to a halt.

"I am sorry for being late. I could not get up early," apologised Salman. "I have sold tickets for this one (film) and I'll usher the audiences for my next film," he told reporters here.

Salman's presence helped the sales of the tickets for the film, releasing Friday. "The two-screen theatre sold close to 500 tickets, courtesy the hype created by the actor," said an official from the theatre on condition of anonymity.

Also starring in the film are Ajay Devgn and Asin Thottumkal. The film is about "deep friendship more than any love triangle or music", said Salman.

Labels: Salman-Khan

Bhopal, Oct 25 (IANS) Police in Madhya Pradesh's Indore city had to cane charge some Salman Khan fans who had resorted to violence at Nehru Stadium where the Bollywood star came late and stayed only a few minutes before leaving for an event.

A large number of people had gathered in and around the stadium as Salman was scheduled to play a cricket match organised to promote one of his films to be released shortly, police said.

But the Bollywood star reached the venue five hours late and left after few minutes without playing the match.

"This enraged the people who went out of control and threw chairs all over the stadium... Police used a cane-charge to chase away the crowd which went berserk since Salman who was supposed to be here at 10 a.m. reached after 3 p.m. and that too for a very short while. The situation is now under control," said Indore Additional Superintendent of Police Akash Jindal.

Labels: Salman-Khan

New Delhi, Oct 25 (IANS) On Monday when you are standing in queue to buy tickets for "London Dreams" at Delite theatre here, take a close look behind the box-office window - for taking the cash and pushing your ticket out might just be Bollywood star Salman Khan.

"The advance booking for "London Dreams" in single screen theatre is starting on Monday. Salman will himself sell the tickets at the Delite theatre from 11.30 a.m. onwards. Vipul Shah will also be with Salman," a source close to the actor told IANS.

Directed by Vipul Shah, the film is releasing Friday. It also stars Ajay Devgn and Asin Thottumkal in lead roles.

"The advance booking in multiplexes will open on Wednesday," said the source.

It seems that the success of his film "Wanted" in single-screen theatres has inspired Shah to do so.

Labels: Salman-Khan

Mumbai, Oct 21 (IANS) Despite the tepid response to "Main Aurr Mrs Khanna", Salman Khan has promised director Prem R. Soni that he will do his next movie.

"No matter what people say about 'Main Aurr Mrs. Khanna', I'm doing your next film no matter what," Salman told Soni at a private family gathering, restoring the director's trust in his abilities.

Soni is now a bigger Salman fan than ever before. "The way 'Main Aurr Mrs Khanna' has been received, I thought no one would want to touch me with a barge pole. So many announcements go down the drain if the first film doesn't work."

Relieved Soni is still bewildered by the response to his maiden effort. "It was almost as if we made the worst film on this earth. I could smell the resentment against the film. There was definitely an attempt to write it off on the day of its release."

Salman, who had just delivered a hit in "Wanted", showed his full faith in "Main Aurr Mrs Khanna".

"He completely believed in my film and his character. But since he was already so visible for 'Wanted', we decided to go easy on the publicity for 'Main Aurr Mrs Khanna'. We were wrong. This was a different Salman and a different film. Not that aggressive promotion helps. But aggressive anti-publicity surely damaged my film," said Soni.

Whatever the response to the film at home, "Main Aurr Mrs Khanna" has been warmly received in Australia where it is set.

"Melbourne is not just a location in my film. It's one of the characters in the plot. Has anyone commented on how hard we worked on getting the locations right? 'Main Aurr Mrs Khanna' is the first Indian film to be shot at an international airport. When I wrote my script a major part of the drama was situated in an international airport."

The shoot at Melbourne was free of cost. "Can you imagine? All we were told was to shoot in the night when the air traffic was less dense. We paid nothing and we got complete and free access to shoot in the most restricted areas on the airport. We shot in an area past the immigration, so any of us could take an unauthorised flight to any part of the world.

"But all of us, Kareena Kapoor, Salman, Sohail Khan, Yash Tonk, Nauheed Cyrusi and Bappi Lahiri, were very careful of our responsibility. We had been given a huge privilege and a diplomatic immunity. It wasn't just us. It was India's reputation at stake."

Labels: Salman-Khan

New Delhi, Oct 18 (IANS) Bollywood is famous for the real and reel life bonding between actors. One such camaraderie that has surfaced between two known names in tinsel town is of Salman Khan and Govinda.

"Salman and I have a very deep bonding so much so that we are just one call away from each other... We just completely respect and love each other like anything," Govinda told IANS.

"In fact it was because of this bonding that I copied his bracelet (Salman famously dons a sapphire bracelet on his right arm). Feroza is so beautiful, healthy and keeps people so much at peace. I have no qualms in saying that I copied Salman Khan," he added.

Seen together for the first time in hit comedy "Partner", the duo set the screen on fire with impeccable comic timing.

Govinda recently walked the ramp at the HDIL India Couture Week for Salman's Being Human foundation and has also appeared in the macho actor's "Main Aurr Mrs.Khanna" that released Friday.

Labels: Govinda, Salman-Khan

Labels: Salman-Khan, Wanted

Labels: Anil-Kapoor, Katrina-Kaif, Salman-Khan

Cast: Salman Khan, Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Mithun Chakraborty, Preity Zinta, Sohail Khan, Vatsal Sheth, Dino Morea, Amrita Arora, Riya Sen
Direction: Samir Karnik
Producer: Bharat Shah, Sameer Karnik, Vikas Kapoor
Music: Monty Sharma, Sajid-Wajid
Writer: Sameer Karnik, Aseem Arora
Lyrics: Jalees Sherwani, Rahul Seth

Labels: Amrita-Arora, Bobby-Deol, Dino-Morea, Preity-Zinta, Riya-Sen, Salman-Khan, Sohail-Khan, Sunny-Deol

Labels: Priyanka-Chopra, Salman-Khan, Sohail-Khan

Name of the Movie: Veer
Director: Anil Sharma
Producer: Vijay Galani
Cast: Salman Khan, Mithun Chakraborty
Written by: Salman Khan
Genre: Period Drama
Banner: Eros International
Expected Release: 2009
--MP

Labels: Mithun-Chakraborty, Salman-Khan

Name of the Film: London Dreams
Director:Vipul Shah
Producer: P J Singh
Cast: Salman Khan, Ajay Devgan, Asin
Writer: Sridhar Raghavan
Music: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Genre: Drama, Romance
Expected Release: 2009
--MP

Labels: Ajay-Devgan, Salman-Khan

Cast: Salman Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Manisha Koirala, Priyanka Chopra and Anupam Kher.

Labels: Amitab-Bachchan, Anupam-Kher, Eros, Manisha-Koirala, Priyanka-Chopra, Salman-Khan

Labels: Anil-Kapoor, Aushima-Sawhney, Katrina-Kaif, Mithun-Chakraborty, Salman-Khan, Zayed-Khan

London, Jan 16 (ANI): Bollywood actor Salman Khan unveiled his wax figure at Madame Tussauds Museum in London amid his fans on Tuesday.

The actor had all the praise for the statue and appreciated the hard work that has gone into its making.

"I have just started painting and I know how difficult it is to get something so perfect. The talent, the patience, the hard work which has gone into this sculpture, is phenomenal," said Salman.

The crowd went into a frenzy when the actor got down from his car.

"I think he is gorgeous and best bachelor around at the moment," said Maria.

Echoing similar sentiments was another fan of Salman who was keen to hug him.

"He is fantastic, even his presence on the screen is fantastic. His eyes, his body are just fantastic I just want to hug him," said Deepa.

In the race to reach the famous waxwork museum of Madame Tussauds, Salman beat nine other mega stars - including Madhuri Dixit, Hrithik Roshan, Lata Mangeshkar and Abhishek Bachchan, after a public poll conducted last summer.

The wax statue of Salman Khan stands in a special Bollywood section alongside those of three other actors - Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai and Shah Rukh Khan.

The star was measured and photographed by expert sculptors in Mumbai last October to kick-start painstaking work on his wax double.

Salman, started his film career way back in 1998 and has over 55 films to his credit till date. The year 2007 saw his movie 'Partner' making moolah at the box office.

The museum officials hope that the installation of the new statue will raise Salman's popularity in the West. (ANI)
--MP

Labels: News, Salman-Khan

Salman was convicted on April 10, 2006. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on him.

Salman was found guilty of poaching the Chinkara at Ujiyala Bhakhar near Ghoda Farm in 1998 while shooting for the film "Hum Saath Saath Hain".

The actor has been charged with poaching two Chinkaras at Ujiyala Bhakhar near Ghoda Farm.
 
Bollywood actors Saif Ali Khan, Satish Shah, Sonali Bendre, Tabu and Neelam Kothari have been acquitted in the case.
 
Salman has also been sentenced to a year's imprisonment in another poaching case at Bhawad. (ANI)

Labels: Salman-Khan