Salman Drug...: Salman Khan; ‘‘My relationships have not worked because of me”

Dabangg has been the biggest hit of the year so far. Do you feel no 1ish?I was never in that race. One Friday a film called Dabangg came which no one wanted to buy initially. Everyone said pagal ho gaye hain (you are crazy), making a rural film, kya title hai and other such things. The film came and did well. So there are no hard and fast rules. If the film had not done well, they would have said, “See we had said so...”

Anil Kapoor joked and said that he hoped you would not say anything about his film the way you did about Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Guzaarish…I never said anything about Bhansali’s movie. I spoke about my first film with him Khamoshi – The Musical. It didn’t run although it was critically acclaimed. No one came to see it in the theatres. When people watched the film on DVD or on satellite channels, they said, “Such an amazing film! Why did this film not do well?” Dude you are sitting at home, doing nothing, watching the film for phukat but when the film was in the theatres, you thought who will go see a film on the hearing impaired? So there was no excitement. Today going to a theatre is a good six-hour task. It’s like going for a picnic. If you are gonna make them cry, they should enjoy that crying. They should enjoy the drama or the action you are showing. If you are going to see something that you will enjoy then half the battle is won. If I want to entertain I do cinema, if I want to send across a message, I tweet.

Your tweets which were a big hit initially have become thanda... I have been very busy, lots of birthdays. I started working out, shooting for all these films, travelling a lot too. So I’m not even thinking. It’s just hi hello what’s up. But I will get back to it more regularly.

Your charities through Being Human are going full throttle. Are you happy with the way Being Human is moving forward?Yeah kind of. It’s just started. It’s a very young foundation. It will take a lot more time for us to reach out to a larger number of people.

You reportedly asked Karan Johar for an amount of Rs 50 lakh to appear on Koffee With Karan Yeah, for Being Human.

Some people found it shocking... Next time I will charge you too. Why not? You are selling your magazine. You are making money. You are selling that many extra copies. It’s not coming to my pocket. If your publication is making money and you know for a fact that the money is going to go straight to charity, then why not?

Young, new and aspiring actresses look on you as someone with a Midas touch. The new actress’ career gets a fillip after she’s paired with you in a film.
That’s because I work with newcomers. The music becomes a hit, the songs are appreciated, there is that much more visibility. So everyone benefits. If you are going to cast one new girl out of so many new girls it’s obviously because that girl is damn good. And she is as good or perhaps better than the rest of the girls in the industry.

Kareena Kapoor has called you the Rajnikanth of Bollywood. Do you take that as a compliment? (Taken aback) See I know Rajnikanth. We’ve done some shows together. I think he is a great guy, a superb guy. He is one of the most fearless actors. He does movies but behaves like a normal person. He walks around with his white beard, with no hair. I think he is a rock star. In his personal life he does a lot of charitable work, which we keep hearing about, it is just totally fascinating. So at my age to be compared with someone like him is a huge compliment. He has achieved a lot more. He’s been around a lot more.

Do you aspire to be like him? I think everyone has his own individuality. God has made him differently and me differently. So, it is a compliment to be compared to him. He’s an original, he’s very cool. (Thinks) But I want to go on a different path. I have plans and… I don’t want to say what.

News has been trickling in that Farah Khan wants to make her next film with you... I’m not aware of that at all.

The stalemate over your equation with John Abraham has ended after you guys hugged and made up at Mehboob Studio recently.Who said that? Obviously, John has spoken about this because I have not spoken about this anywhere.

What does it take for you to forgive and be friends with someone again?Forgive and be friends again? I am not friends with him again. He was never a friend of mine. He is someone I did shows with. And that was it. After the show he goes his own way, I go mine. He says hi to me in the gym. Generally in the gym I don’t look at anyone. I just do my own thing.

So it’s the press who’s made too much of it?I just did shows with him. There was not much interaction with him at all. I don’t know John. He says ‘hello’, I say ‘hello’.

Hundreds of people stand outside your home every day. What is the one truth you would like to share about yourself with them?(Smiles) I’m never home! I’m always working and I would appreciate it more that the time you waste in standing outside my house, you spend it with your family or at work or watch my movies. Or anyone else’s movies.

You have recently been voted the sexiest man alive. Do such epithets or topping such polls mean anything to you? They mean nothing to me. Because I don’t believe in them. Fans have voted. Thanks a lot. I really appreciate it. But that’s not me. They vote for the person who they see on camera or screen or the pictures that the best photographers take of us.