Straight Answers
| Salim Khan, Salman Khan’s father, on the star’s ordeal in jail and his getting bail. |  |
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How did the family deal with the situation while Salman was in
jail?
It’s been a mourning period for the family. Life changed terribly. The house, which used to buzz all the while, went into depression. Neighbours and wellwishers would drop by to inquire about us; all this made it seem as if somebody had died. Salman’s return has brought back those lost smiles. We are indebted to those who stood by us.
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What about statements that Salman was victimised?
I’ve got to be careful because the case is subjudice. There were immense distortions of facts. For example, talk of finding white powder in the car, that the car was a smuggled one, Sohail (Salman’s brother) removing the tape recorder from the car, Salman’s driving in a drunken state at 90 kmh... Even Michael Schumacher cannot drive at that speed on that narrow stretch. Salman stayed at the accident spot for 15 minutes before the crowd turned hostile. His friend took the victims to hospital. Yes, Salman did have drinks, but he wasn’t drunk.
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Is it possible for you to look at the situation objectively?
It’s a tricky situation. If I try to take Salman’s side, I will be accused of bias and if I detach myself, I’m an unconcerned father. It’s not possible for a father to leave his son, especially at times of crisis. It’s at such times that they need the family and its support. I’m not justifying Salman’s actions, but moral support is crucial for anybody in such a situation. Why, even Sunil Dutt tried helping his son and stood by Sanjay.
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How has Salman taken this?
He’s sad for the victims. I am not saying this because I am his father. None of us have gone to meet the victim’s family because we’ll be accused of tampering with evidence. I know, people will accuse us of being insensitive because of this. It’s a no-win situation for us. But we did give the victims’ families Rs 20 lakh immediately. Salman has turned very quiet. The only problem with him is that he doesn’t have control over his good and bad emotions. He reacts spontaneously.
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