Salman bares his funny bone!

2003 July 21 Filmfare.comBy PARUL GUPTA
Bollywood's real-life baddie Salman Khan talks about what makes him do the two things he does best - lose his shirt ? literally and figuratively.
Khan's penchant for hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons is well-known. What is not is that the brat Khan has a funny side too.

Sample this: On why he bares his chest - You would do it too if you had a chest like mine.

On why he didn't bare his chest in his upcoming Tere Naam: I had a paunch when we shot.

On why he decided to do Tere Naam: I had no work at the time.

On some of his earlier flops: Those days, I had to buy a house. So, I took up films even though I knew they would bomb.

On how love and violence can go together in Tere Naam: Why? Are you not married?

On how director Satish Kaushik handled his aggressiveness: Khan bangs his fist hard on the table.

On rumours that Bajirao Mastani, in which he will act, has been shelved: Not true, though I know there are people who would like it shelved.

Maybe it had something to do with the bad press he has been getting, but 　Khan's over-the-top politeness during the press interaction in Delhi was a study in contrast with his reported misdemeanors. Every answer of his was punctuated with a generous dose of 'Sir, ji Sir' and laced with humour.
But Khan's wit vanished once the discussion veered towards his personal life. "I don't give interviews to the press. So, people get upset and write whatever they want to," he parrots. But why is he singled out? "I am asked that often. Honestly, even I don't know. I am also human. There are times when I also get upset."

He sure does. Like when bete noire Vivek Oberoi is mentioned. Asked if he would like to send greetings to Oberoi, who is recovering from an injury, a straight-faced Khan said he felt bad for his colleague. But the discomfort in the answer showed.
Khan is equally uneasy when prodded about Aishwarya, who might co-star with him in Pritish Nandy's Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam. "I have said yes to the film, but I don't yet know about the rest of the cast," Khan said.
July 22 2003