Rendez-Vous

Salman Khan - Tete-A-Tete

He is known in the Hindi film industry or should we say ‘Bollywood’ as the man with a heart of gold! Superstar Salman Khan, who is living in the lap of luxury, underplays this tag or sobriquet by saying that he prefers ‘being human’! After having done charity for years without tom-tomming about it, Salman Khan has now started his new initiative… Being Human, the Salman Khan Foundation is a trust set up by Salman Khan for helping the cause of the underprivileged. The Salman Khan Foundation has two focus areas: education and healthcare. At the moment, the foundation is completely self-funded and in order to increase the reach and corpus of the Foundation, Salman Khan has undertaken initiatives such as Being Human art and Being Human merchandise. Proceeds from the sale of art and merchandise will go to Being Human, the Salman Khan Foundation. Herein, Salman Khan speaks about luxury and being human…

SO WHAT DOES THE WORD ‘LUXURY’ MEAN TO SALMAN KHAN?
For me, my present lifestyle is luxury. I remember those days when my father had come from Madhya Pradesh to Mumbai and struggled hard to make both ends meet. There were so many days and nights when we used to borrow food from neighbours or sleep on an empty stomach. Also, when I was a struggler, I used to wander around without any work or proper clothes or money. Compared to those days, my life today is luxury. Being human and free is luxury. Having the power to positively change lives of people is luxury! Having the ability to make people laugh, cry and smile is luxury! Having time to indulge myself in my hobbies such as painting and sketching is luxury! Having the resources to make expensive gifts to my true friends is luxury! Having the luxury to celebrate all festivals with my fans is luxury.         

DO SUPERSTARS BECOME SNOBS AND ALIENATED FROM THEIR FANS?
I respect all humans and my fans are like God to me. My father is a Muslim and my mother is a Hindu. So I am a true Indian and respect all customs of Indians. I celebrate all religions and festivals. I celebrate togetherness and Being Human in the heart, mind and soul going beyond geographical boundaries. I am not a political person but have strong social beliefs. As an actor I want to take creativity to the next level and give immense joy and satisfaction to my fans. My fans and the media should respect me for my work and as a person. Many a times, media creates the wrong image for selling more copies or getting more viewers. This creates a wrong impression in the minds of fans. Salman Khan wants to be taken seriously by his fans.

WHAT DOES MONEY POWER MEAN TO YOU?
There used to be a time when I was oblivious of the power of money. Once, in my childhood, there was an incident that changed the course of my life. I shudder when I think of it. My father used to earn Rs. 750 as his monthly wages. Once during Diwali, I was burning firecrackers and was so obsessed that when the crackers were exhausted, I started burning paper. When I couldn’t find more paper, my eyes fell on the paper notes in my father’s wallet and I started exhuming them. My father didn’t say a word but we all
suffered a lot. Then I decided that I shall set myself a target of earning Rs. 10 lakh (million). In those days, it was believed that if you earn Rs. 10 lakh, you can live happily on the interest earned from the sum. I guess I have come a long way. I love to indulge myself and my friends. You must have heard about my obsession for luxurious brands and services. I know the value of these material goods because I had been deprived. But I also the know the value of being a good soul with a golden heart! Money for me today is what it does and can do. If money can bring smiles to people’s faces, I would love to have more and more money. I am willing to sell my smile, face, hair and body to get more funds for the Being Human Salman Khan foundation.      

TELL US ABOUT BEING HUMAN GOLD COINS?
India’s biggest jewellery house Gitanjali Group and Being Human Salman Khan Foundation present the gift of the festive season, the ‘Being Human’ Gold coins, Keeping in mind the joy of gifting combined with supporting a cause, ‘Being Human’ gold coins
were designed by Gitanjali group in association with the Salman Khan Foundation. The proceeds of the sales will support the underprivileged. Every gold coin holds a personal message from me as a token of gratitude to the consumer. ‘Being Human’ gold coins are certified with 995 (Purity Gold) along with a BIS Hallmark which gives 100% re-sale value. It comes in denominations of 1 Gram, 2 Grams, 5 Grams, 8 Grams, 10 Grams, 25 Grams, 50 Grams & 100 Grams. Gold coins are a popular gift during the festive season and by choosing ‘Being Human’ Pure Gold Coins by Gitanjali Jewelers, you support a good cause. The ‘Being Human’ initiative by Salman Khan Foundation is dedicated to supporting the cause of education and healthcare for the underprivileged. This initiative is an opportunity for all of us to contribute in our small way towards society.

TELL US ABOUT SALMAN KHAN, THE PAINTER?
I use to paint as a two and a half year old child when the creative faculties are very strong and developed. Somewhere down the line, this fixation was buried in my sub conscious mind even though I never indulged in it as much. As I grew I started sketching as a hobby. Then just a few years back, I bought a couple of expensive paintings. One day, I just felt like I should try to see if I could paint and to my surprise I did quite a decent job. I even painted Katrina Kaif as my muse and the painting brought to the fore some new dimensions of her personality as I saw it. My charity ‘Being Human’ is my sole inspiration for my paintings. My work will be auctioned soon and all the money will go for my charity. It will go to save lives, especially children. As for the theme, it’s peace and harmony.

HOW HAVE YOU SURVIVED THROUGH EXTREMELY TOUGH TIMES?
I have always believed in my goodness and humanity. I have chosen children as my theme for charity because it is safe. Although I wanted to take steps to change the lives of hail inmates, it will be wrongly interpreted as if Salman wants to make life easier for himself when he goes back to jail. Therefore, my self belief, self esteem and self confidence have helped me live my life instinctively and fearlessly. Truth always triumphs and God blesses those who help themselves. I feel that the world will take a long time to know the real Salman Khan! Till then I shall continue to live life on my terms in my inimitable way…

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