Break-up with Malaika: What hurt Arbaaz

'We don't know when those differences started between us, when the love went away, or when the arguments and fights started.'

Arbaaz Khan finds the media increasingly intrusive.

"I don't want everyone to know when I go out with my son or my girlfriend for lunch or dinner," he tells Rediff.com Contributor Ramesh S.

Your talk show Pinch is getting a lot of love.

To have a talk show like that was a part of my personality that people have not been aware of.

Due to my serious kind of roles, people -- apart from my close friends and family -- did not know the real me.

I am very friendly and affable.

This talk show allowed that part of my personality to come across.

Secondly, all the stars who come on my talk show feel that comfort zone because of my friendly rapport.

So they can easily share sensitive and important issues.

They can talk freely, openly and candidly.

I am fortunate to have A-listers talk about important things.

Did you expect such a response?

I really did not expect my show to get such an overwhelming response.

I thought people would like it, but that there would be negativity and controversy too.

But after reading comments from viewers, it feels great.

Everybody is saying the concept is really good, that I am hosting well, that the selection of stars is good...

Comments like these are overwhelming, and I never expected such a response.

Everyone knows some controversy is bound to happen, no matter what we do. But as of now, nothing has created a stir, and that's a good thing.

I have talked on controversial subjects, but in a sensitive way, so that it does not go overboard.

Which episodes were the toughest?

The ones with Karan (Johar) and Kapil (Sharma) were tough because we spoke about serious issues -- things like sexuality, surrogacy, acceptability of the children, Kapil's drunken behavior, his tweet to the prime minister, and so on.

To talk about these things are quite tricky and one can easily find oneself in an awkward position.

But that's what people have to understand.

Ultimately, we stars are human being at the end of the day.

We also have bad habits, weaknesses, we also make mistakes.

What was that one thing that hurt you in your personal life?

When I was going through my separation period (with Malaika Arora), people started giving their own reasons, and this affected me.

To be honest, sometimes two people, who are living together for so many years, don't even know what the actual reasons are.

We don't even know when those differences started between us, when the love went away, or when the arguments and fights started.

But people know everything.

I don't understand who these people are and what they know about us.

It hurts even more because they don't know even the smallest fraction of truth, and yet, make stories.

They didn't stop even after the separation; they started making stories on the settlement.

This kind of playing with the image hurts me more.

Don't you feel like laughing at it?

I do laugh at it, but after a certain stage.

You don't laugh initially.

And that's what my show is all about, where I feel certain things that are pushed under the carpet needed to be addressed.

A lot of actors want to talk about this.

Just recently, a journalist asked me who would be the next guest. I just laughed it out.

But now this laugh was linked to another question, and the news went viral all over.

I find it ridiculous.

I can understand that this is their profession and people are earning their bread and butter from this, but there has to be some ethics and decorum regarding what one writes about other people.

There was another instance, where a female celebrity was invited on my show as a guest.

Before coming, she insisted that she did not want to give solo pictures to the photographers, and wanted to pose with me.

I requested the photographers about this, but as soon as she came out of her car, they started clicking pictures!

I would like to add more on this. Earlier, celebrities would silently travel from one city to other and nobody knew about it.

Today, nothing can be done silently or secretly.

Photographers and journalists are waiting for you in the middle of night to tell everyone that we are moving out of the city.

I don't want everyone to know when I am moving out or returning to the city.

I don't want everyone to know when I go out with my son or my girlfriend for lunch or dinner.

It is a fact that we are public figures, but there has to be some ethics and decorum.

We try to do certain things secretly and avoid the paparazzi.

Your film Poison is a revenge drama. As your father Salim Khan has penned some of the finest revenge films, which is your favourite?

Sholay. The revenge that Thakur takes in the film against Gabbar and how the entire film revolves around it is phenomenal.

Also, films like Trishul, Majboor, Shakti and Deewar are my favourites.