My Father is my Sikandar: Salman Khan

Keeping with the tradition of releasing his films on Eid, Salman Khan is back in the theatres after two years with his action-packed film Sikandar, directed by AR Murugados. The film also stars Rashmika Mandanna, Kajal Aggarwal, Sathyaraj, and Sharman Joshi in pivotal roles. Though the superstar has a massive fan following, his films of late have failed to hit the bullseye at the BO.

What made you choose this film?

I liked the story. There’s action and romance woven into the story very well. It’s a film that has a message of kindness.

Your takeaway from this film?

It talks about Sikandar, a Rajkot king who lands up in Dharavi, where he wins the heart of the public. A good man will always be a good man, no matter where he is.

There is a dialogue in the film that says, “I can become an MLA, but I would want to become the CM.” What if you were given a chance to become the CM in real life?

I am not interested. If you don’t know governance or administration, you should not enter that field. You should never get into it. I don’t know much about acting, so how can I know about politics?

Director Murugadoss has worked with Aamir earlier and has done action films. What was new with this film?

Like I said, there is a lot of emotion. If there is no emotion in action, it will not be entertaining. Murgadoss has always dealt with emotion in his films, which were action-orientated. Ghajini was not just an action film; there was a lot of emotion in the film too.

Who is your Sikandar in real life?

There is only one person, and that is my father, who stays on the first floor.

You have done so many iconic movies in your career; how do you define the term ‘mass movies’?

The fine line between mass and class films has faded now. People watch these films at single theatres as well as multiplexes. People who whistled in theatres do so in multiplexes too. Mass movies were only connected to single screens earlier. That feeling of watching a film on a single screen is different.

Have you paid homage to Salim Javed dialogues through this film?

I have used them because they were popular, and yes, it was a homage of sorts. They were Salim-Javed dialogues, and we used them with a twist in our film.

Empuraan is also releasing on the same day as Sikandar. What are your thoughts?

Oh, the Mohanlal film. I love him as an actor, and I love Prithviraj, who is the director. Jatt is also releasing on the same day. I hope they all do well.

South actors have always looked up to you and Amitabh Bachchan. How important is this sense of brotherhood to you?

They have all grown up in front of me. Taarak (Jr NTR) and Ram Charan started their careers in front of me. Venkat and Chiranjeevi have been old friends. I did a Thumbs Up commercial with Chiranjeevi earlier. In fact, I was the first of my generation who started working in the South. I have done this way before others in Bollywood started the trend.

What do you think about the unpredictability of films at the box office?

Good films run well, and if the film is not good, it won’t do well. If you are lucky and the film is not good, then again it will do well.

Are you worried about the threats you get? Do you ever feel insecure?

I don’t know how long I will live. If it is God’s will, I’ll survive. It becomes difficult to go out with so much security all the time. I just go to the movie sets and come back home.

Are you planning a sequel to Bajrangi Bhaijaan?

Yes, Kabir Khan is writing it, and the draft is ready, but it will take time. This time Munni will have to talk. I am deciding on two films now. We will reveal it soon. Suraj Barjatya is writing a film; I will be doing that as well.