Eyes roll over Salman-Kareena embrace
Everyone wants to be in a Salman Khan film. Anyone who says they don’t… They all want to be a part of it. It is Salman Khan at the end of the day. He is the biggest superstar in the country. And he is lovely and gorgeous. Why would anyone not want to work with him?
Kareena Kapoor, actress
MUMBAI: Tongues are wagging and eyes are rolling as photos were shared online of Bollywood stars Salman Khan, 49, and Kareena Kapoor, 34, in an intimate embrace.
The photos, taken during a lull in the filming of Bajrangi Bhaijaan (Brother Bajrangi) would not have created a stir if not for the fact that Kareena is married to actor Saif Ali Khan.
Bajrangi Bhaijaan is to begin screening next month, and the widely-shared photos could be a publicity stunt intended to create buzz for the movie.
In the movie, Kareena has only a minor role. As to why she chose the cameo role, Kareena explained: “Apart from it being a Salman Khan film … it is also his first film as a producer, so I wanted to be a part of it. I have also never worked with Kabir Khan. The idea is also to work in commercial films, but there should be a newness to it. Kabir’s films aren’t mindless. When he called me, I immediately said yes.”
As for her choice of roles, Kareena observed: “Everyone wants to work with the Khans, no matter what they say. And once you have tasted blood, you want to do it again and again. But in this film, it’ll be a small part, but there will be a sense of realism – it is not that we are dancing around trees all the time.”
On the perceived gender inequality in Bollywood movies, she conceded: “But they (male actors) can’t take away from the fact that we are part of the film and especially when it comes to me. Because audiences have always loved seeing us together. That is why they have always repeated me in their films – the Khans. They aren’t going to cast me for the sake of it – they know it adds something to their weekends and their collections. It is unfair to say that it is a Salman Khan film. No hero is complete without his heroine.”
Asked on her own admission that she did Kambakkht Ishq because she got to wear good clothes, Kareena did not dodge the issue. Instead, she confessed: “Yeah. And people still remember it as one of my most glamorous roles. And I loved it. I was in LA! Who doesn’t want to be in LA? Most people say the shelf life of an actor is a decade, and I am entering my 16th year in this industry. I have played Anil Kapoor’s wife and now I am playing Arjun Kapoor’s wife (in R Balki’s forthcoming film). And I think I look good with all of them.”
Responding to the issue of the hysteria in India over Salman Khan’s persona, Kareena said: “Salman is also an unapologetic actor about his success. He knows he is here to entertain. And he makes those kind of films. But Kabir Khan’s film will be different. There will be a story, a sense of direction. And it is a Salman Khan film. Everyone wants to be in a Salman Khan film. Anyone who says they don’t… They all want to be a part of it. It is Salman Khan at the end of the day. He is the biggest superstar in the country. And he is lovely and gorgeous. Why would anyone not want to work with him?” — Agencies