Salman Khan BREAKS SILENCE on receiving death threats: ‘Jitni umar likhi hai, utni likhi hai’

Salman Khan. Pic/Satej Shinde

Three days before Sikandar's release, the Salman Khan we meet is the same we've met all these years - soft-spoken, generous with his smile, and livening up conversations with his deadpan humour. On the surface, there is almost no sign of the turbulent 2024 that he has had. Except the heightened security around. When the superstar sits down with a group of media-persons, Sikandar is the first thing we talk about. Director AR Murugadoss, like his previous Bollywood hits Ghajini (2008) and Holiday (2015), has designed it as an actioner. "Till emotion is not attached to the action, it has no meaning. Otherwise, you can shoot fight scenes with a bunch of fighters. In Akshay [Kumar] and Aamir's [Khan] films, the action was superb, as it is here too," states Khan.

The trade is hopeful that his maiden offering with Murugadoss will give the box-office that elusive blockbuster. But Khan jokes that this collaboration had an odd detractor in Ghajini actor Pradeep Rawat. "I've done five to six films with Pradeep. He had remarked once, ‘Murugadoss is so disciplined and sincere. How will Salman work with him? Salman gets angry easily.' When I meet Pradeep, I'll ask him, ‘Bhai, when did I get angry with you?'" he laughs.

A still from Sikandar

Sikandar marks the actor's return to the big screen after over a year. Much has happened in the interim. Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi issued fresh death threats to him after claiming responsibility for NCP leader Baba Siddique's murder last October. Have the threats made him fearful? Khan points his finger upwards and says, "God is there. Jitni umar likhi hai, utni likhi hai. Sometimes, when you have to walk with so many people around, [it becomes] a problem."

Lately, his fans were concerned over his health after they felt he looked tired in some pictures. Considering his physique has been an aspiration for generations of men, we ask him how his body has evolved with age. "Every bone has been broken, every ligament has been torn; back then, we wouldn't even get rest. After you hit a certain age, it troubles you. There are no body shots in this film; if there were, I would've got that body in 15 days. You should be healthy. When it comes to me, I don't get lean, I get six-pack abs."

Rs 4 cr
Estimated advance booking collection of Sikandar so far