"This is some brain dead journalist's brainchild."

An anguished owner of theaters in New York asked Salman how he could salvage his business, but the actor was blunt.

"The first thing you should do is stop making so much money on popcorn," he said. "Reduce your prices. Your DVDs, sell them at the same price as the pirated ones, perhaps so that you might kill piracy."

It wasn't what the man had hoped to hear, but when the session came to an end, just about everyone in the room -- producers, theater owners, journalists -- lined up, angling for a photo with Salman Khan.