Mumbai, Aug 28: Salman Khan is every bit the stud Mirror reader Jasmine Kaur Anand imagined him to be, even though his shirt stayed on.
Choosing who gets to meet superstar Salman Khan is a difficult but power-inducing task. Of the thousands who write in to Mirror, most ask to meet Bollywood's hunky Khan. This time, it was 19-year-old Jasmine Kaur Anand's turn and she could hardly believe her luck. She was going to meet her ultimate idol. Whether it was Prem in Hum Aapke Hai Kaun? or Prem in Hum Saath Saath Hai, Jasmine had found her hero.
After almost getting lost and fearing the worst (that she would miss her appointment with Salman), Jasmine arrived at Yash Raj Studios where the actor was shooting for his upcoming film, Ek Tha Tiger, opposite ex-flame but good friend, Katrina Kaif.
As we waited for Salman to take a break from his shoot, Jasmine gushed about her crush - his acting skills and, no shocker here, his body.
Before long, Salman was walking towards us in the rain with a staffer holding an umbrella over his head. In a pink shirt, blue tie and grey trousers and a small bruise painted on his face, he looked every bit of the stud he is touted to be. In a fit of nervousness, Jasmine couldn't decide whether to shake his hand or keep her distance.
Salman rescued her by immediately extending his hand and inviting her to sit next to him. The star-struck teen lost her voice, so when Salman asked her how she became his biggest fan, her feeble 'you're perfect' was audible only after a few attempts.
"Tell me something about Bodyguard?" asked Jasmine. "Are you trying to be a journalist?" he countered but went on to tell her how special the film is. "It is an innocent love story, with more taam jham - action, music and masala."
So did he ever feel irritated about always having a tail? Salman doesn't even acknowledge that he has a bodyguard. "These guys are like family now. They know me as well as my family does. Shera has been with me for 15 years while our other domestic helps sat home, Jaffer and Mohan, have been with me for over 10 years."
Though he denies being an emotional person, his attachment is palpable. "I am possessive about my loved ones. But that doesn't mean I'm not an aggressive person. Sometimes it's necessary to be so. Otherwise people will climb onto my shoulder, piss in my ears and eat them! I don't want people getting over-familiar with me."
Jasmine then asked about his artistic pursuits. "I started about two-and-a-half years ago and found my style within the first week itself. I generally draw godly things and concentrate on faces. If you see trees and sceneries, it's not mine," says the Dabangg star. Unfortunately, crowds make it difficult for him to visit the gallery but he doesn't give up a chance to take a dig at his favourite frenemy. "When the crowds become too large, I just send them over to Shah Rukh's house," he quipped.
The teen finally gathered the courage to ask him something she had been pining for. "You are so famous for your body. Will you please take your shirt off and show it to me?"
The shock on his face was priceless. "Darling, the only time you will get to see my body now is when you go to watch Bodyguard," he said. Still prodding with pointed questions, she asked "When will you get married? And will you invite me?" He joked, "I really don't know when I'll get married, sweetheart. But I think it will be a sudden affair. Like I'll wake up and ask the person next to me, 'what are you doing here?' and she'll say, 'we got married last night! But when it happens, you'll surely get an invite."
His faith in the institution still runs strong. "Of course, I believe in it. My father believed in it so much that he's been happily married twice. Everyone in the family, apart from Arpita and I, are married. People who say that this is a promiscuous industry are those who haven't been successful," insists Khan.
"In my 20 years here, I have never seen or heard of the casting couch. No one has ever even thrown themselves at me." Hard to believe, huh?
Unabashed, she asked him to cast her in his next to which he said "If there is a role...wait, how old are you?" After a few more minutes of chatting, they shared a box of chocolates she brought and he bade her goodbye, every bit the gentleman he is.
