Salman Khan wants to do 'Hindi film in English'
The megastar revealed how his acting career started in a recent interview
It is said that a diamond doesn’t start out polished and pristine. It is nothing but with enough pressure and time it undergoes a tad bit of struggle and becomes spectacular. The success of Salman Khan can very well be drawn parallel to that of a diamond.
Son of screenplay writer Salim Khan, Salman recently shared his journey in an interview with Fortune India.
The Bollywood megastar revealed that he never really thought he would be an actor. “In those days, it was unheard of for a screenplay writer's son to become an actor,” said the star. He always thought he would pursue a career as a director or a writer and also worked on a few scripts to direct but that did not work
Salman was about 15 years old when the wife of an ad film director, Kailash Surendranath spotted him swimming at a hotel. She told her husband that she had spotted a kid who swam well and looked good without a shirt and asked her Kailash to hire him. And from there Salman was flown to Goa.
“There were these professional models who were all like 6 feet and 2 inches, 6 feet and 3 inches tall standing around. I took one look, said no way, and was heading back to the car when a buddy dragged me back. That was the beginning,” he said.
Read: Want to feature in Salman’s song? Take selfies!
The initial years were tough. He was turned down and away many times. “When I went to meet moviemakers they would say, 'you should have come six months earlier, or six months later,' or 'you're too young right now' or 'you're too old for this' or 'we have just signed someone else,' or 'we are not making anything right now,' or 'we're looking for a big star'-- not really outright rejections, but my father had also said his share of no's to people in the industry, so I'm sure there was some sense of angst within people whom I later encountered then,” recalled Salman.
The actor never had the problems of having no food at home or living in rented houses but what drove him was the urge to prove to the guys who had rejected him. One of those people was producer Anand Girdhar who used to make small budget B-grade movies.
It was back when Salman was about 17 years old and Girdhar was making a movie called The Graduate, for which he was looking for someone to play a teacher who falls in love with a student. Salman went to see the director and was rejected after being told that he was too young for the role.
But Salman insisted that he would wear a fake mustache and look older. The director responded by warning him to leave the office or he would ring the buzzer and have Salman escorted out.
Read: If you haven't seen Kashmir, you haven't seen anything: Salman Khan
Years later when the two met again Salman couldn’t recognize him. But when the director identified himself, Salman expressed him gratitude. “I met him years later, and, of course, I didn't recognize him, but he smiled and said, "I'm the same guy who kicked you of my office," and I hugged him and said thanks, because I wouldn't be where I was without people like him,” reminisced Salman.
Salman Khan is someone who loves acting and doesn’t wish to do anything otherwise. He is not a fan of any actors but his role models are Sylvester Stallone and Dilip Kumar. “What I am is a big admirer of success stories of people who start out as underdogs and become successful. Stories of people who come from nowhere and reach somewhere,” explains the star.
Read: Jacqueline Fernandez has been 'kicked' out: Salman Khan
When asked about the choice to work in Hollywood, Salman in his usual witty way responded, “Why would I want to go to Hollywood? If anything, I may do a Hindi movie in English -- you know, like that new catchphrase: Make in India, and sell abroad.”
Salman is very fond of painting. He is a self-learned painter who goes with what pleases his eye. “When I see that a color is off, or an eye is off balance, I fix it. I make mistakes and learn from them. I don't follow precise lines or form. I just go with the flow. If it comes out looking good then that's fine, if not, then I downplay the weaker, darker sides of my portraits.”
The actor is an active philanthropist. He is running his own charity with the name of Being Human. He’s inherently a helper and likes working for the betterment of the society. “Step out of your house, look right and look left, and if you see someone needy, do something about it,” said Salman.
Son of screenplay writer Salim Khan, Salman recently shared his journey in an interview with Fortune India.
The Bollywood megastar revealed that he never really thought he would be an actor. “In those days, it was unheard of for a screenplay writer's son to become an actor,” said the star. He always thought he would pursue a career as a director or a writer and also worked on a few scripts to direct but that did not work
Salman was about 15 years old when the wife of an ad film director, Kailash Surendranath spotted him swimming at a hotel. She told her husband that she had spotted a kid who swam well and looked good without a shirt and asked her Kailash to hire him. And from there Salman was flown to Goa.
“There were these professional models who were all like 6 feet and 2 inches, 6 feet and 3 inches tall standing around. I took one look, said no way, and was heading back to the car when a buddy dragged me back. That was the beginning,” he said.
Read: Want to feature in Salman’s song? Take selfies!
The initial years were tough. He was turned down and away many times. “When I went to meet moviemakers they would say, 'you should have come six months earlier, or six months later,' or 'you're too young right now' or 'you're too old for this' or 'we have just signed someone else,' or 'we are not making anything right now,' or 'we're looking for a big star'-- not really outright rejections, but my father had also said his share of no's to people in the industry, so I'm sure there was some sense of angst within people whom I later encountered then,” recalled Salman.
The actor never had the problems of having no food at home or living in rented houses but what drove him was the urge to prove to the guys who had rejected him. One of those people was producer Anand Girdhar who used to make small budget B-grade movies.
It was back when Salman was about 17 years old and Girdhar was making a movie called The Graduate, for which he was looking for someone to play a teacher who falls in love with a student. Salman went to see the director and was rejected after being told that he was too young for the role.
But Salman insisted that he would wear a fake mustache and look older. The director responded by warning him to leave the office or he would ring the buzzer and have Salman escorted out.
Read: If you haven't seen Kashmir, you haven't seen anything: Salman Khan
Years later when the two met again Salman couldn’t recognize him. But when the director identified himself, Salman expressed him gratitude. “I met him years later, and, of course, I didn't recognize him, but he smiled and said, "I'm the same guy who kicked you of my office," and I hugged him and said thanks, because I wouldn't be where I was without people like him,” reminisced Salman.
Salman Khan is someone who loves acting and doesn’t wish to do anything otherwise. He is not a fan of any actors but his role models are Sylvester Stallone and Dilip Kumar. “What I am is a big admirer of success stories of people who start out as underdogs and become successful. Stories of people who come from nowhere and reach somewhere,” explains the star.
Read: Jacqueline Fernandez has been 'kicked' out: Salman Khan
When asked about the choice to work in Hollywood, Salman in his usual witty way responded, “Why would I want to go to Hollywood? If anything, I may do a Hindi movie in English -- you know, like that new catchphrase: Make in India, and sell abroad.”
Salman is very fond of painting. He is a self-learned painter who goes with what pleases his eye. “When I see that a color is off, or an eye is off balance, I fix it. I make mistakes and learn from them. I don't follow precise lines or form. I just go with the flow. If it comes out looking good then that's fine, if not, then I downplay the weaker, darker sides of my portraits.”
The actor is an active philanthropist. He is running his own charity with the name of Being Human. He’s inherently a helper and likes working for the betterment of the society. “Step out of your house, look right and look left, and if you see someone needy, do something about it,” said Salman.