Salman Khan, Rashmika on Sikandar journey, superhero films, work ethic and more

India Today

Salman Khan and Rashmika Mandanna, in an exclusive interview with India Today, spoke about their upcoming film, Sikandar. The film will hit the screens on March 30.

Transcript

00:00In the last 5 years, 49 cases have been pending.

00:04Whenever you see someone, you break someone's face and come home.

00:10Salman and Rashmika, this is truly exciting to come and speak to you about Sikandar.

00:14I watched the trailer, I absolutely loved it.

00:16It's always interesting when a trailer is out, no?

00:18You watch the trailer, then you have your own assumptions about what the film will be.

00:22You derive plot lines, you have your own conspiracy theories.

00:25And then you're like, this is what the trailer is and this is what the film gets.

00:28But one special moment from the trailer launch that stayed with me was the fact that Salim uncle had come for it.

00:33And that is a moment that I think is captured and it took our heart away.

00:37Just for the fact that him sitting there, looking at his son on stage, talking about a film.

00:41How important is it for you even today to show him films?

00:45Talk to me a bit about that Salman.

00:47So, we were having lunch together and he said, where are you going?

00:50He said, the trailer launch is good, I'm coming too.

00:55I was like, really?

00:56He said, yeah.

00:57And he came, sat in the car and he came for the trailer.

01:00And then I was shocked, him sitting behind but he wanted to sit there.

01:04So, he didn't want to sit in the front row, so he sat behind.

01:09He told me a very amazing thing.

01:12There was a billing problem of two big stars.

01:15One star I'll name, one star I'll not name.

01:19Yusuf Saab, Dilwale Kumar.

01:21They said that they want the first billing, they want this, they want that.

01:24You can name me anywhere, my fans will recognise me.

01:30So that.

01:31I said, why are you sitting in the back?

01:34He said, if you are sitting in the back, don't worry about me.

01:40That's it.

01:42Do you remember the first time you showed him a film of yours, like back in the day?

01:45Yeah, I showed him.

01:47He saw Bibi Ho Te Aisi.

01:51And when he saw Bibi Ho Te Aisi, he had a suggestion to make to the director.

01:58And the director said, no, no, no.

02:02I mean, very sweet man, Mr. Bihari.

02:05He said, when this is happening, the husband should not be at home.

02:08And he comes back, he realises that Farooq Shaikh has left the house.

02:15He said, no, no, that film is like this, that film is like this, it doesn't mean this.

02:19He said, no, no, Mr. Sareem, we respect you a lot, but we will make it like this.

02:22So my dad had seen the film.

02:25So he came to me and said, son, you are in the right hands.

02:32And I showed Suresh the film.

02:35And Suresh said, it's amazing, this film is going to do really well.

02:38It's a very good film.

02:39But why are your eyes looking so big?

02:42I said, how do you want my eyes to look?

02:44I said, is this okay?

02:46This?

02:47This?

02:48He said, this is fine.

02:49I said, your film is going to be like that.

02:50And that also didn't happen.

02:51I've got like big eyes, I don't know what to do here.

02:54So these are memories that the first time I'm sharing them with Tushar.

03:02So my father is a writer.

03:03What does your dad do, Tushar?

03:05He's an artist.

03:06He's a painter.

03:07He's a painter?

03:08He's a professional painter?

03:09No, he's doing it for the love of art.

03:11He's doing it for the love of art.

03:12And any other profession?

03:13I mean, since college?

03:14He used to be a journalist back in the day.

03:19This is the second generation of journalism going on in your family?

03:25Yes.

03:26That's really nice.

03:27So this is also our second generation.

03:29Your dad, mom, what did they do?

03:31My dad, he's into hotel management.

03:34He's into hotel management.

03:35Oh, hotel management.

03:36Okay, okay.

03:37And mom?

03:38Mom's a homemaker.

03:39Homemaker?

03:40Yes.

03:41Why did you make it so big?

03:42I don't know.

03:43How come?

03:44It's a question.

03:45I don't know.

03:46Is it luck?

03:47Is it destiny?

03:48Or hard work?

03:49I think.

03:50Right time, right place?

03:51I think so.

03:52It was destiny, actually.

03:53Destiny.

03:54I didn't want to get into the field.

03:55But somehow, things got me here and pushed me in this.

03:56But you had a tough time.

03:57Oh.

03:58Not so easy, is it?

03:59No.

04:00Working.

04:01Working-wise.

04:02Working.

04:03Working.

04:04Working.

04:05Working.

04:06Working.

04:07Working.

04:08Working.

04:09Working.

04:10Working-wise, working-wise, it's never so easy.

04:12Yeah.

04:13Everyone has to work really hard.

04:14And the ones who are from the industry, they've got to work 10 times harder.

04:17Yes.

04:18The ones who are out of the industry, they also have to work that same amount of…

04:22The hardship has got to be the same or even more.

04:26So, when we came in the industry, all of us have worked really, really hard.

04:31And I see the younger generation from outside the industry, all the industry, my God, the way they are working.

04:39I mean, they are working on everything.

04:41They are working on their dancing, on the way they look, the way they dress, the way they talk, the way they walk.

04:46Obviously, their acting skills are on a different level altogether.

04:50So, yeah, it's becoming a lot tougher.

04:54But you know, he has mentioned such an important thing about how today everybody is so disciplined.

04:59What you are eating, how you are being clicked, where you are stepping out, what are you wearing, what are you saying in the press.

05:04It's almost like you have to be sort of treading on a treacherous slope, right?

05:09But then it's also sort of freeing to sort of be in this creative space.

05:12You are an actor, you have to be free.

05:14You can't be bound by certain things.

05:16Talk to me a bit about your journey in this space and then coming into Sikandar.

05:20You know, the first time a film review came out on you.

05:22Before we come into Sikandar, this interview is going to be over.

05:28First, let me dive right into Sikandar and then we'll do the rest of the talking.

05:33But, you know, first when I got the call, of course, it's a very surprising moment.

05:42Because, first of all, I didn't want to be an actor, somehow made it as an actor.

05:47Being able to reach the place where you get to work with SK.

05:53It's as in, it just feels like you've done something right, you know, as an actor.

05:59Because if you're not good with your work, you wouldn't get here.

06:03So, when I got this call, I knew that, okay, I want to do commercial films.

06:08But I wanted depth in commercial films.

06:11And I needed emotions in commercial films.

06:13And that's when it sort of attracts me to do the film.

06:18So, Sajith sir first actually made the call.

06:21And he said, okay, we have something really exciting for you.

06:25And I was like, okay.

06:26As in, I didn't know the entire star cast, nothing I knew.

06:29I was just like, okay, sir, let me take up on the narration.

06:32And I was in Vizag at the moment, shooting for something else.

06:35So, like, the first AD came, he narrated the story.

06:41And I fell in love with it.

06:43And I went to the next portion of it and asked, okay, what is the star cast looking like?

06:49And when they mentioned SK, I was like, how in the world did I get here?

06:54You know, the whole questioning myself.

06:57There's a lot of discipline, Rashmika.

06:59A lot of discipline with a lot of hard work.

07:01And nobody reaches any stage without that kind of effort that you put into your career.

07:08I've seen her working.

07:10She was shooting for Pushpa.

07:12And Pushpa was just going to release in a week, week and a half.

07:15And they were still shooting for a song in the climax of Pushpa.

07:19And obviously she had to be there.

07:21And then she was shooting with us for that, that Mahjabeen song.

07:26Zohra Zabeen.

07:28She was shooting for that and some scenes and everything.

07:32So, she was shooting with us in the nights.

07:34And then she was shooting in the days with them.

07:38So, 24 hours.

07:40We were there for about 12 days.

07:42Yeah.

07:4412 days, 24 hours.

07:46That she hadn't slept and she was not well.

07:49And she was still at it.

07:52And it's not that she slept in between the shots.

07:55It's just that she only got that time to sleep in the car.

08:00I don't even know if she slept in the car or not.

08:02And one day she packed up and she had to rehearse for their song.

08:07No, our song only.

08:09After packing up.

08:11After packing up, she was rehearsing for 2 hours.

08:14Wow.

08:15And then at 7 o'clock in the morning she went for that shift.

08:17So, it's hard work.

08:20But also, in the meantime,

08:22while all of the chaos was happening,

08:25you know, like,

08:27every time,

08:29SK would just be like,

08:31eat something, drink something,

08:33do you want something, can I get you something?

08:35So, like,

08:37you don't expect these things, right?

08:39These things are what makes you human.

08:42You know, it separates you from

08:45everyone else that you know of,

08:47or, you know, you've worked with.

08:49So, it's these things which drew me to SK

08:54because I was like, you know, for me,

08:57humans are more important than the actors that they are.

09:00Actors, you can, you know,

09:02it's creative field.

09:04And I respect that.

09:05You're basically saying that I'm your nicest co-star.

09:08Yes.

09:10Let's say that in many words.

09:12No, but these, you know,

09:14all these things are very important

09:16and these cannot be

09:18pretentious or it cannot be fake.

09:20It is who he is.

09:22And that was the most special of it.

09:25And honestly, those few days when it was crazy,

09:28this is how I survived.

09:30She told you this story.

09:32You were checking on her every five minutes.

09:34She was not well on set.

09:35And you were like, have you eaten? Are you okay?

09:37I quickly want to ask you,

09:38do you know two genres that you've never done till date?

09:40I've done pretty much every genre.

09:42I know two genres which you've not touched.

09:44Negative, I don't feel like.

09:45No, not negative.

09:46You've not done a biopic.

09:47Correct me if I'm wrong.

09:48Yes, I've not done a biopic.

09:49And you've not played an out-and-out superhero

09:51with a cape and going to a different galaxy,

09:53planets, lifting mountains.

09:55You've not done that yet.

09:56Yeah, I'm wearing Avengers t-shirts right now.

09:58They're tied up with being human.

10:01Marvel should be checking out this scene right away.

10:03Yeah, yeah.

10:04Soon to play one.

10:06No, no, no, no, no.

10:08I mean, the kind of films that we do

10:10and the roles that we do,

10:11we don't have to wear a cape.

10:12We're superheroes.

10:13All are Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Punjabi, Bengali.

10:20Every film industry, the hero is a superhero

10:24without wearing a cape.

10:26No, but I think that's what differentiates

10:29an Indian film from the rest of the world, you know?

10:33Like SK said, now I'm going to say SK.

10:38Yeah.

10:40But yeah, like not really do you need a cape.

10:44You don't have to really be in a vest.

10:46Every father, every elder brother,

10:48brothers and sisters, everyone.

10:50Every protector is a superhero.

10:51Yeah.

10:52For anybody who wants to work with him,

10:54for say there's a newcomer

10:56or there's an actress who's not worked with SK

10:58and if you had to meet her and give her one,

11:00not word of advice,

11:01advice is a very strange thing to say,

11:03but like how does one get him?

11:05Because he has his own discipline when he comes on set.

11:07He has his own take on the scene.

11:09He brings his own charisma and charm

11:11to everything that he does right.

11:12What's the way to sort of get that on screen?

11:15It's so tricky.

11:16You're all humans in the end of the day.

11:18I think I'll just tell them be real, man.

11:22Don't be pretentious or don't pretend

11:26to be someone that you're not.

11:27Just be real and people will see through.

11:29Right?

11:30Correct.

11:31There are stories that I come late

11:33and I'm not serious about my work,

11:35et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

11:37I've done a hundred and some plus films.

11:39I've done more films than anybody else has done

11:41apart from my senior actors.

11:43So it is not possible,

11:46not possible to do this kind of work

11:52if you're coming late and going early.

11:54Not possible at all.

11:56So there is a discipline,

11:57a hundred percent,

11:59but timings are such.

12:00Somebody starts working at six o'clock in the morning,

12:03I start working by 11, 11, 30, 12.

12:06I've got a lot of other work also to do,

12:09signing a lot of papers, et cetera, et cetera,

12:13and a lot of phone calls.

12:16I have to work out, do all that.

12:19And then you come and then you relax,

12:21you have a coffee, you understand the scene.

12:23And once you're there,

12:24I mean, I don't even go back to the van.

12:26I don't sit on it.

12:28They put a tent there,

12:30wherever they put the tent,

12:31the video village is there.

12:33I am there.

12:34And I completely agree with that

12:36because even I heard a lot of stories

12:38before working with SK

12:39and I am someone who believes only what I see.

12:44I don't listen to all these stories

12:47because I'm like, you know,

12:49it's not happened to me,

12:50so I can't stand by your words.

12:52But every day on set,

12:55SK has been there.

12:57He's given the cues on his OTS.

13:01He's always been there.

13:02So I was like,

13:03what I'm hearing and what I'm seeing

13:05is two different things.

13:06So this is a reality.

13:08I don't understand

13:09why there's so much commotion around.

13:13We have people, we have friends

13:15who would like to share these moments.

13:19Ki apne time se aata hai,

13:20apne time se jaata hai.

13:21For them, actually,

13:22it's giving me a compliment.

13:25But then what happens with that is

13:27you're scaring people away from working with me.

13:29You're giving that thing.

13:31He does not need to do anything in the film.

13:34He just stands.

13:35In concert, he just does his own shit.

13:37And his films touch on it.

13:40No, no, there's a lot of hard work.

13:42But it's just that hard work is not seen.

13:44I'm not trying to show anybody that.

13:46But mentally, constantly,

13:49my mind is working,

13:51especially on scenes and emotion.

13:53But it's happening inside.

13:55Yeah.

13:56It's happening inside.

13:57Because I'm a writer's son.

13:58And we're thinkers, basically.

14:00So all the hard work is in here.

14:03Jo physical karna hai,

14:05I've been doing action for the longest time.

14:08So yeh kick mar lo, wo kick mar lo.

14:10Wo sab aa jaata hai.

14:11And I've done all the back somersaults

14:14and the front somersaults

14:15and all the kicks and everything.

14:17I don't think that is required right now for me to do.

14:21So it's just that, I mean,

14:22suddenly if I do a back somersault, front somersault,

14:24it can be in a song, it can be in a scene.

14:26But action mein, I mean,

14:28it has to be more rustic and it has to be more manly.

14:32And I think that is what works.

14:34And I think that's what's working for every one of us right now.

14:38I mean, just imagine Akki, me or anyone.

14:41You know, suddenly it's back flip and front flip.

14:44All of us can do it.

14:46All of us can do it.

14:47It's not that you can't do it.

14:49All of us can do it.

14:50But the action is very man-man right now.

14:53It's very rustic.

14:54Gritty.

14:55So it cannot be...

14:57We've done all those 360 degree kicks and we've done all that stuff.

15:00If you can do it then, you can still do it now.

15:03But it's designed, the action,

15:07in very different manner right now.

15:12Sikandar is out on 30th of March.

15:14And what matters is all the sweat, all the blood,

15:17all the tears, all the hard work from the cameraman to the light man,

15:20to the director, to the DOP that has gone in making of a film.

15:23People don't realise that.

15:25It all depends on the mercy of the people,

15:29of the fans, of the families who want to go and see the film.

15:33It all depends on our fans, on our audiences.

15:36So I was just thinking today, have I ever prayed for a film to become a success?

15:41Right? I don't think so.

15:42I have never prayed for a film to be a hit.

15:46Really?

15:47Never, never.

15:48But I know that my mother must be doing that, my sisters must be doing that,

15:52my loved ones must be doing that.

15:54But me, that this film should be a big hit,

15:58this should be a big hit, that should be a big hit.

16:01I have never, ever, ever done that.

16:05Never done that.

16:07And whatever the result of the film is,

16:11if it's a hit, if it's a flop,

16:15but just that it should be a hit, the work should be,

16:19people should enjoy your work.

16:22I don't come in as saying that I am one of the best actors in the country.

16:26I don't do that.

16:28Apart from that, you can catch me for just about anything.

16:30You can catch me for just about anything, but let's catch him in the theatres.

16:35Yes.

16:36And catch you in the theatres on 30th of March.

16:38No, no, from the 30th of March.

16:40From the 30th of March and onwards and upwards.

16:43Yes.

16:44Thank you guys.

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