Lack of family planning has led to a growth in my fans: Salman Khan

Salman Dabangg Khan is all set to return to the small-screen with the new season of Bigg Boss starting October. The actor is making sure that this time the controversial show is fit for family viewing and along with the channel has got the go-ahead for a prime time slot at 9 pm. Last year, the show because of its adult content had to be shifted to 11 pm as per the diktat of Information & Broadcasting Ministry. “Last time, I myself was not happy with some of the goings-on and had to pull up the inmates of the house. If the fight is justified I am all for it, but if people come into the house with the weird notion that screaming and yelling will give them more TV time, they are wrong,” says Salman.

Point out to him that the toned down version will take away from the basic format of the show and he says, “We are not toning down anything or telling anybody to behave, but the people we are choosing will be of a certain level. Yes, there will be fights but the fun elements will be more.” He adds that the best reactions he received last year were for the recap moments. “Those were beautiful moments filled with that little big of anguish, tears and anger in it. It had a combination of everything,” explains Salman.
This time the actor is going to miss having his buddy, actor Sanjay Dutt around as he will not be part of the show. “Sanjay is busy shooting for three films back-to-back and will soon be promoting Son Of Sardar. But he will be with me for a while, chilling out,” he informs. The other new elements in the house include a goldfish, a Macaw parrot Radhe — named after Salman’s character in Tere Naam — and a common man. The latter, points out Salman, will be a celebrity in his own right — a hero. “He will not be from the film or TV world, but someone who has achieved something in his life,” says the actor, who himself has been doing a lot of charity through his NGO, Being Human. He recently introduced an official Facebook fanpage and announced the launch of his brand’s exclusive stores, which has now been postponed. “We were supposed to start now,  but one of my stores is not ready due to the rains. Since it happens to be the flagship store, we will have to wait till I return from shooting the climax  of Dabangg 2,” he informs.

The shoot will involve Salman doing a lot of action, which due to his health concerns has to be within certain specifications. “Yes, we are working on that but the action has to be better and bigger than my last release EK Tha Tiger,” says the actor, who has raised the bar when it comes to box-office collections. With Ek Tha Tiger, Salman has moved from the `100-crore club to the Rs200-crore. one. Does he feel the pressure to set another record? “I don’t think I have raised any bar. It’s just that there’s inflation, the ticket prices have gone up and fans are increasing. But that’s only because family planning is not happening. People are having lots of children who are growing up to be my fans!” he says tongue-in-cheek.