‘You can write the goriest stories about me’

Van Damme’s daughter, Bianca, is acting opposite you in Veer?
Not at all. Where did that come from? Sure I met Van Damme in Dubai at the IIFA awards a couple of years back and we hit it off well. It’s also true that I met his wife and daughter when they came down to India for a holiday recently but there was no talk of a film. Bianca’s a pretty girl.

Is it true that you’re trying to gain weight?
Yes, I’m trying to increase my weight to almost twice of what I’m now. I’m doing regular workouts and eating right. I’m doing it for my role in Veer. With Veer, I want to separate the boys from the men. I want the boys to look like pretty girls. Since I’ve already worked a lot on my physique, it’s not going to be so hard.
Other actors take three to four years to get a six pack, I take five days.

So what is so special about Veer?
The fact that I’ve written the story. The idea has been with me for over 20 years now. When I started out, I wanted to be a director. There were so many stories I wanted to tell, Veer was one of them. It’s the story of a warrior tribe in the 1900s and obviously, I play a warrior. It’s a beautiful story of a father and a son who honour the word. Anil Sharma is directing it.

Maybe because you have a history of being inaccessible to the media?
I don’t react to rumours and unfounded stories. If you ask me about a stupid thing that hasn’t happened, then either I’ll joke about it or laugh it off. What can I say to something as preposterous as this? I don’t have the time to get into all this. My name is Salman Khan and I need to work for a living. I don’t have the time and energy to call up every newspaper and television channel and deny or confirm every little thing that gets written or said about me. But now I’m thinking I need to do something. I’m planning something.

... contd.