Salman Khan: No matter what position you are in, you can be wiped out any time

From Kumar Gaurav to Tiger Shroff, this chat with Salman Khan ranged from the current generation of newcomers to the older bunch of stars, as he spoke of what it takes to begin a career in Bollywood today. With his two current protégés, Athiya Shetty and Sooraj Pancholi, and his poker faced humour in tow, Salman got sometimes pert and sometimes profound as he talked about his upcoming production, Hero, and how it came into being.Sooraj and Athiya, what does it mean to have a star teach you how to enter cinema?Sooraj: I think we are really lucky and truly blessed. There are a lot of people who struggle but only few get a chance like this. We couldn’t have asked for anything better than this.Athiya: I think, for both of us, it’s a dream platform.Salman: You’re saying this is better than Karan Johar and Yash Raj and all these people?Sooraj: Definitely, I would say that.Athiya: Yes.Salman: Yeh do banners toh gaye bhai.READ: Hero: Things we liked in the trailerWas acting always your plan A?Sooraj: Yes, I started my career as an assistant director when I was 18 and acting was always on my mind.Athiya: I was always a filmi child and loved watching movies. My mom used to take me to watch a movie every Friday. I used to love doing theatre in school. It became my hobby, and now I’m lucky that this is my profession.For the latest in Bollywood news, like us on Facebook >>>TOIEntertainSalman, how different is it for a newcomer in Bollywood now, as compared to when you were beginning your career?I think it is a lot more difficult for them now than it was for us. Back then, people used to cast newcomers more easily because the stars used to be very busy with too many films at a time and dates used to be a problem. So there was a lot of scope for newcomers. That time it was a lot easier. Today, budgets are huge, and most of the near-50 or 50 plus (year old) stars can still do the kind of roles that they are doing in Hero.For latest Bollywood updates, follow us on G+ >>> The Times of India EntertainmentSo the competition is much wider. But the advantage is that this generation does everything a lot better than we could have. I am talking about me. Like Shah Rukh or Aamir might disagree that Tiger Shroff dances better than them, but I think Tiger manages to dance slightly better than I do. And so does Sooraj. My thinking was, let me get a film and then I’ll work hard. But these young people think that they need to be 10 on 10 before they get a film. They have all worked on everything before they came in. They will go for their readings and workshops; I have never done a workshop in my entire life! I see dancers rehearsing, and I think it is me who needs to rehearse. Kamaal hai. And I’m saying, ‘Dikhao kya hai? Bahut achche. Ab isko change karo.’ These people don’t have that. They will ask, ‘Kaise kiya?’ Then they’ll go and learn it. We say ‘damn good’, and we change it.Did you step in as a producer after Sooraj and Athiya were cast?Salman: No, I saw Sooraj first and then decided to produce a film. This was supposed to be my first production, but we decided to release Bajrangi Bhaijaan first.You have launched many careers over the years. Do people come and approach you, or do you pick up talent when you spot one?Salman: When people come and approach me, if I do not see anything hero-like in them, I may say isko kahin koi role de denge, make him do a guest appearance or a father’s, brother’s or a negative character. But hero? No chance. But then when you see somebody walking in – I remember when I first saw Sooraj, he was wearing a cap and standing at the Yash Raj Studios talking on the phone. I wasn’t looking at him, I was looking at people reacting to him. All the assistant directors, lightmen, dancers, the filmi people in Yash Raj who passed by kept looking at him, ki kaun hai yeh ladka. I kept watching him and realized that he has that quality. Sooraj worked very hard on Ek Tha Tiger and I had thought that Kabir Khan or Yash Raj would sign him.For latest Bollywood updates, follow us on Twitter >>>@TOIEntertainWith the amount of attention that they are getting, be it at public appearances or otherwise, even before the release of the film, they are already stars, right? These days you do not have to wait for your film to hit the theatres to become a star?Salman: We’ve seen some films that haven’t done well, but the actors became stars. Then there are other films which were successful, but did nothing to the actors’ careers. So it is a very dicey situation. The film has to do well and both the main actors have to do well. There are lots of examples. Rocky did not do that well, but Sanjay Dutt became a huge star. The film did an average business, but it wasn’t like Betaab or Maine Pyar Kiya. Like Ram Teri Ganga Maili did really well, but it didn’t work for Rajiv Kapoor’s career. It’s complicated, you don’t know what the future holds. I thought Kumar Gaurav was the biggest star and everyone thought so too, but four years later, there was no work. I still feel that he looks the same as he looked in Love Story. I have told these people, learn from these examples – no matter where you are and in what position, you can be wiped out any time.For more interesting Bollywood news and pictures, follow us on Pinterest>>>timesofindiaDo you think you have the Midas touch?No... no... I’d be touching myself... That didn’t come out right, na? (laughs) But you know what I mean, right?LISTEN: Songs of Hero on Gaana.comWATCH: ‘Hero’ couple Sooraj Pancholi Athiya Shetty’s cutest pics-TOI