TWO people are sitting in a news TV studio. One is asking questions. The other is answering. One looks utterly at ease, maybe a little bored and maintains eye contact throughout. The other looks somewhat nervous, also somewhat excited, and doesn’t quite maintain eye contact all the time.

Yes, yes, you are saying, so this is a news TV interview, happens all the time, the interviewer is always at ease, and sometimes looks bored when answers are boring and the interviewee is frequently nervous at the prospect of interrogation, but also excited to be on national news TV—what’s my point? This: In a remarkable and intriguing CNN-IBN interview with Salman Khan, the nervousness and excitement were all on the part of the interviewer.

Frankly, I would have switched channels when the interview came on because (a) most news TV interviews of A-list actors is pap and (b) at that time of the evening news cycle Salman Khan didn’t rate high on my list of news consumption priorities.

But, and allow me to compliment myself just a little bit, experience counts. All this time spent watching news TV has sharpened my antennae. From the time the interviewer said ‘hello’ and ‘welcome’, I knew this was different.

Did Salman also know this was different? Because when asked about Khan vs Khan Bollywood tales he replied: “You ask me questions and I am promoting Wanted (a film)…So you ask me questions on just about everything but not about Wanted. So I either just keep quiet or answer it as honestly as I can. You asked me so I answered as honestly as I can. You asked me, I would not bring it up. I do not talk bad, always wish well.”

... contd.