Late one night, strolling round Mehboob Studio’s automotive park, he was darkly introspective, admitting that marriage had been on his thoughts a number of years in the past.
However regardless of his anger and tears, his possessiveness and knowledge, the particular person had moved away and he had allow them to go.

{Photograph}: Variety courtesy Salman Khan/Instagram

As Salman Khan turns 60 on December 27, Rediff Senior Contributor Roshmila Bhattacharya decodes the Peter Pan, making an attempt to know why the actor by no means obtained married, why she thinks he would make a very good father, and why she will by no means keep offended with him for too lengthy.

‘I am tough to stay with’

If you interview one the nation’s most needed bachelors, one query is inevitable, ‘When are you getting married?’

Salman Khan has answered it at totally different occasions, in several methods, and in several moods.

On one event, he identified rationally that for a shaadi to occur, you wanted a lady first.

I identified that there could be many ladies solely too joyful to accomplice him in actual life, and he quipped, tongue-in-cheek, ‘Actually? Will you marry me?’

The googly was meant to stump, however I batted it with a straight face, telling him that he had popped the query too late.

‘I’ve a 20-year-old daughter now!’ I sighed exaggeratedly, and his guffaw informed me he appreciated the repartee.

One other time he identified that he was too busy to offer his spouse high quality time.

‘I am by no means house, and even once I’m house, I am tough to stay with,’ he confessed, sincere and sensible.

IMAGE: Salman Khan together with his father Salim Khan. {Photograph}: Variety courtesy Salman Khan/Instagram

‘I’d be joyful if marriage occurred, but when it does not…’

The subsequent time he stated, ‘Life is gorgeous and I’d be joyful if marriage occurred, but when it does not…’ the shrug that adopted was eloquent and philosophical.

Then, late one night, strolling round Mehboob Studio’s automotive park, he was darkly introspective, admitting that marriage had been on his thoughts a number of years in the past.

However regardless of his anger and tears, his possessiveness and knowledge, the particular person had moved away and he had allow them to go.

He reasoned that forcing them to remain would have solely made them sad and left him feeling guilt.

He spoke from the guts, and broke my coronary heart.

‘When it occurs, it occurs’

Finally, I obtained uninterested in the topic, despite the fact that it continued to spark nationwide curiosity, and informed him I used to be not going to ask him about marriage this time.

However I did wish to know if he had any plans of getting a baby, via adoption or surrogacy.

Salman was non-committal, ‘No, not but’, his shrug informal, ‘When it occurs, it occurs.’

I ought to have stopped there, however stupidly, I prodded, ‘How will it occur?’

With a naughty twinkle in his eyes, he deadpanned, ‘I am unable to describe the entire course of to you.’

This time I burst out laughing.

IMAGE: Salman Khan waves to followers. {Photograph}: Variety courtesy Salman Khan/Instagram

Salman could be so caring

Salman is 60, and nonetheless a bachelor, however marriage might nonetheless occur.

Late one evening, as a result of, as he had laughed self-deprecatingly, he wouldn’t have the braveness to do it throughout the day.

I hope it does occur as a result of even with no dedication, Salman could be so caring.

Just lately, Daisy Shah admitted how throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, every time she wanted something, he was on pace dial for her.

Earlier, Katrina Kaif had revealed that even after they hadn’t met in months, every time something upset her, Salman could be there to consolation her.

It was an odd coincidence and one she had learnt to just accept it, unquestioningly.

His Maine Pyar Kiya co-star, Bhagyashree, had as soon as revealed that after making her squirm uncomfortably throughout the shoot, crooning ‘Dil deewana bin sajna ke mane na‘ in her ear, he had whispered that he knew all about her secret liaison with Himalaya.

He steered she invite Himalaya to the shoot, as his pal.

She had resisted the temptation then, however when she later married him, Salman and Sooraj Barjatya had been on the temple as her ‘household’.

IMAGE: Salman Khan with little Arpita. {Photograph}: Variety courtesy Salman Khan/Instagram

Dancing with a star

Within the firm of adults, Salman can get offended and aggressive, sarcastic and caustic, however within the presence of a kid, he’s all coronary heart.

Simply earlier than the discharge of Prepared, together with a number of different journos, I had trudged to Whistling Woods after being promised a one-on-one interview with him.

As soon as there, we had been saved ready for over an hour as a result of nobody knew the place Salman had disappeared.

We lastly tracked him right down to the movie college’s auditorium.

He was on stage, dancing with a gaggle of otherwise abled youngsters.

There have been no indicators of annoyance when one baby tugged at his shirt.

And he hooted with laughter when one other baby stripped off his shirt to flex his non-existent muscular tissues.

It was solely after this impromptu efficiency, that he was ‘prepared’ for a tete e tete, however his solutions had been monosyllabic and bored until a moppet clambered into his lap.

She was one of many children who had been on stage, dancing with him, and he was indulgently paternal.

She pulled his hair, poked him within the eye, interrupted our Q-and-A with questions of her personal, and thru all of it, Salman did not as soon as lose his cool.

When her embarrassed mom tried to take her away and he or she let loose a protesting wail, he snatched her again and cuddled her.

Lastly, after pacifying her with the promise of one other dance, he carried her to her automotive himself and waved her off, watching until the automotive was out of sight.

Solely then did he return to our dialog, and this time, he was happier and extra open.

Sixty occurring six!

I consider Salman is so good with children as a result of he’s a child himself.

Maybe that why, not like a lot of my colleagues, I used to be by no means intimidated by him.

As soon as, once I was interviewing his brother Arbaaz, like a frisky child, he passed over our legs, a number of occasions, to stroll to the balcony and wave to the followers exterior. After one bemused look, I ignored him.

After some time, he went away.

Once I was interviewing his father Salim Khan, he sat down on the similar desk for a meal.

I continued asking my questions whilst Salman reacted to them, and Salimsaab‘s solutions, with a roll of his eyes, a nod or a shake of his head, a smile or a scowl.

I requested him my questions even on the day a tv anchor, together with his allegations, made him rant at my scribe tribe and me.

‘Say what it’s a must to, however do not slap me in retaliation, sabke samne izzat ka faluda ho jayega (Or else I’ll publicly lose all respect),’ I whispered and he chuckled.

The Suicide Illness

Solely as soon as was I infuriated after we waited two hours for him to reach on the workplace for a ‘Discuss to Salman’ session.

His automotive became our lane, we ran to escort him up, however earlier than that it had rotated and he had returned house.

I raged, and swore to not ask him any questions every time he did present up.

However I could not hold my decision after seeing him in seen ache.

Salman had been recognized with Trigeminal Neuralgia, generally often called ‘Suicide Illness’ as a result of the ache could make an individual suicidal.

However he had lived with the ache, smiled via it on digital camera, for seven years.

Quickly after our session, he flew off to the US together with his brothers Arbaaz and Sohail and sister Alvira for a life-threatening surgical procedure.

In his first interview after the eight hour surgical procedure, he said that he had gone into the operation theatre smiling, and got here out smiling.

Peter Pan then added with darkish humour that he had been taken abruptly by the media turnout on the airport when he left Mumbai.

Trying on the sombre faces round him, he admitted to have requested Alvira, ‘Will I return?’

Effectively, he did return, roaring, in Ek Tha Tiger!

Pictures curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff