“Age Can Be Scary. You Need To Work Harder.” Salman Khan

Salman Khan has a deceptive nonchalance about him.

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He appears misleadingly casual about his films and his celebrity status. There’s no attempt to intellectualise his work or an effort to impress. But those close to him know how committed he’s as an artiste. He plays a man from 27 to 72 in Ali Abbas Zafar’s Bharat. For that he’s revisited changing landscapes of time and emotions, just as he switched from silhouette to silhouette to be in sync with the character’s altering physicality. It could also mark his gentle initiation into doing mature roles. He’s candid about consciously having to keep the ‘old man’ at bay. He’s forthcoming about having to jostle with aches and pains even as he packs a punch on the screen. The heartwarming honesty perhaps comes from the fact that the megastar has not lost touch with the person he is. Perhaps, his late-night rendezvous with painting and writing and perhaps the shadows that have stalked the spotlight have helped him keep the conversation going with himself… Excerpts…

What made Bharat special?

The reason for doing this film was the plot. A nineyear-old boy is given the responsibility of taking care of his mother and three siblings by his father. From the age of nine to 72, this person does everything to keep his family together. They nag him to settle down but he keeps his promise against all odds.

Somewhere, it reflects your own life story. You’ve always been known to support your family and friends.

It’s the opposite. (Laughs) They’ve supported me all along. I need their support instead.

How difficult was it to get the curve of your character right in Bharat?