'Heroism can never die'

'I feel like I came to the industry just day before yesterday, even though it's more than 30 years now.'

It's a double celebration for Salman Khan.

The actor who turns 54 on December 27, will now share his birthday with his niece, as Arpita Khan planned her second child's birthday on this special date.

With Dabangg 3 faring decently at the box office, Salman seems to be in a happy place now.

"We did not have the same collections due to the CAA protests but I am honestly happy with the audience response to our film," Salman tells Rediff.com Contributor Divya Solgama.

Fans eagerly wait for your birthday every year. 

This year, a new member will be added to our family. Arpita is going to have another child and so we will be focusing on his/her birthday rather than mine.

You turn 54 this year. Is there anything you would like to change in your life?

I just want to be five percent more than what I am today.

What do you think about Dabangg 3's success?

All the credit goes to the fans. They have been loyal to me throughout.

We did not have the same collections due to the CAA protests but I am honestly happy with the audience response to our film.

At this moment, the entire country has come together on this matter and it is more important than a film.

Kids love the film and your character Chulbul Pandey.

Chulbul Pandey is meant for the kids only.

It’s a feel-good film, especially my character.

We have also touched many things in the film like dowry, the importance of a girl’s education, save water, a strong chemistry between husband and wife, a to-be husband letting his to-be wife not change her surname after marriage if that's what she wants, not taking revenge against a girl...

There are a lot of learnings in this film.

Sonakshi Sinha made her debut with Dabangg in 2010. Ever since, she is with the franchise. What changes have you seen in her through these years?

Though she was very good in her first film itself, I keep telling her that she needs to take herself seriously. Only then she will be the number one star of this country.

But she doesn’t listen to me.

I believe she can kill everyone in the industry because she dances better than anyone else, her dialogue delivery is bang-on, her comic sense is superb, her performance in front of the camera, her attitude in the industry... is simply amazing.

She also kills it in her interviews, giving apt answers and also entertaining everybody.

Sonakshi is the most talented girl in the industry today.

It’s just that she needs to take herself a bit more seriously than what she is doing now.

You are working in the industry for three decades now. How does it feel to attain such success?

I feel like I came to the industry just day before yesterday, even though it's more than 30 years now.

It's like I badly wanted to work here day before yesterday, got work yesterday, and today, if I am on holiday, it's not fair.

A lot of people are getting work and salaries because I am working every single day.

The industry has such a big impact on our lives.

It affects the growth of people financially and gives them work.

You are known to do larger-than-life films. What's your basic idea for any film?

I consider myself a big movie fan.

When we were kids, we used to watch films with the family in theatres.

We used to decide which movie to watch after seeing the posters of the upcoming movies in the theatre.

When I used to come out from a theatre after watching a film, I wanted to be that hero.

For instance, we would never skip a single Bruce Lee movie, and we consider ourselves Bruce Lee as soon as we came out of the theatres!

That’s basically my idea for doing movies, where there should be a feel-good factor after watching my kind of cinema.

I think heroism can never die but it’s difficult to balance that in your films.

So far, I am lucky with my films that I make my fans happy.

Also, till the time your emotions are correctly projected and if you are doing something selflessly for someone else in the film, it works for the audience.

What legacy do you want to leave behind?

I want Being Human to be remembered. It should be working even thousand years from now.

Divya Solgama loves masala entertainers as well as hard-core realistic films. Divya can be contacted at movies@rediff-inc.com