Veteran writer Salim Khan, who has been one of the most successful screenwriters in the history of Bollywood, has been time and again credited along with co-writer Javed Akhtar for making movies successful. In the late 1980s, his son Salman Khan made his acting debut.
Now in a recent chat with his son Arbaaz Khan for Bollywood Bubble, Salim revealed that while he had some reservations, he was confident that Salman was going to be a star as he knew that he had all the “star qualities.”
He shared, “When I saw his first film toh mujhe yeh laga ki iske andar star qualities hain 100 percent magar yeh bhi sath sath tha ki main iski nature ko bhi janta tha. He never took anything seriously. He has got all the potential. Toh mujhe laga yeh 100 percent ban jayega star aur agar isko nuksan poncha sakta hai koi toh yeh khud hi hai (When I saw his first film, I knew that he had all the qualities of a star but I also knew his nature. He never took anything seriously. He has all the potential. I knew he would become a star 100 percent and if anyone can harm, it is Salman himself).” Salman started off with a supporting role in Rekha’s ‘Biwi Ho Toh Aisi’, and then starred in Sooraj Barjatya’s ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’.
Salim further said, “As an actor, he has improved,” adding that he appreciated Salman’s work in ‘Sultan’ and ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’. When Arbaaz asked if, as a father, he had made any contributions to Salman’s career, he said, “Mera contribution yeh hai ki main batata hun ki yeh mat karo. Yeh unme se hain ki inko problem ke baad pata lagta hai. Mujhe kabhi kabhi aisa lagta hai ki mera experience yeh kehta hai ki yeh nahi ho sakega toh vahin main rokna chahta hun (My contribution is that I tell him what not to do. He is the sort of person who recognises problems after it is already too late. Because of my experience, I can sometimes tell that this is not right so I want to stop him).”
Salim added, “Sabse important yeh hai ki yeh achi script kare (The most important thing is that he picks good scripts).”
Arbaaz then asked, “Aapko disappointment lagta hai ki baaki ke bachche utna nahi achieve kar paye (Do you ever feel disappointed that other kids could not achieve as much)?” To which, the veteran writer said, “Agar unka effort dekhta hun main kayi martaba ki yeh bhi koshish kar rahe hain. Inhone bhi itni mehnat ki toh mujhe lagta hai ki kuch na kuch hoga. I am a very optimistic person also. Most important toh yeh hai ki kar rahe hain, apna time waste nahi kar rahe (If I look at their effort, I am happy that they are trying. They have also worked hard so I feel something will happen. I am a very optimistic person. The most important thing is that they are doing something and not wasting their time),” he said.
Salim Khan has five children – Salman, Arbaaz, Sohail, Alvira and Arpita.
