My father is a Muslim, mother Hindu, I call myself Insan: Salman Khan

NEW DELHI: “My dad is a Muslim, my mother is a Hindu and I call myself ‘insaan’, a human being”, said actor Salman Khan at a session of the 15th Hindustan Times Leadership Summit.

The 52-year-old superstar was in conversation with senior journalist Shekhar Gupta insisted that he has a led a boring but hard-working life contrary to the perception about him in the media.

Salman said: “I had the most boring life, it was your fraternity (media) that made it interesting… If one had to come and live my life, that person would find it boring and hectic.” My dad is a Muslim, my mother is a Hindu and I call myself ‘insaan’, a human being.”

Talking about his public image – he said: “For the last 30 years, I am told I am misunderstood. How can someone be misunderstood for decades.

The actor — who was struggling with a sore throat here said, “In Wanted, I had a dialogue, Ek baar jo commitment kardi, phir mai apne aap ki bhi nahin sunta. Therefore, I had to turn up in this condition.”

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“The kind of life I have led is the kind everyone has led. I have been working from the age of 15-and- a-half and for 24 hours a day, seven days a week till ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’, ‘Biwi No 1’ and ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’. I have worked all my life. The rest you hear is because people are running their own shows… It’s a hardworking life I have led.”

“Whatever else you hear around, (I feel) many people have many shops to run. So, had all that you all (journalists) have written about me been true… I feel embarrassed. I live in a one-room apartment. It’s a nice, hard-working man’s life that I have led,” he said.

He is facing multiple court cases, and Salman does get bothered by it. But the actor says the show must go on. “It’s my living,” he said.

He elaborated, “Things gets weird when I have a verdict coming. A day before, if I have a film promotion, I’m dancing and smiling on stage. Now, that performance is seen by prosecutors and they think that I’m putting up an act when I am in court too. But when I am in court, I am genuinely scared. But it’s hard for people to get the job that we actors do.”

“I have to smile, go to interviews, romance on-screen even if I am worried about my court cases.”

With agency inputs