‘I kept urging Salman to see Pokiri, and one day, past midnight, he finally turned up at a Mumbai preview theatre to see it.’
‘Nervously, I waited for Salman’s reaction to Pokiri. After watching it, he walked past me without a word.’
‘I followed anxiously, and before sitting in his car, he just signalled thumbs up.’
All these years, it was Salman Khan’s biceps, triceps and six-packs that was the subject of conversation.
Now, everyone is talking of Boney Kapoor‘s dramatic metamorphosis.
After losing 24 kg, the 70-year-old producer looks healthy and dapper, can even give his ‘youthful’ brother, Anil Kapoor, a run for his fitness.
With Salman Khan’s 60th birthday coming up on December 27, Boney looks back at his association with him and makes many revelations,
“In the first half of Tere Naam, Salman sports long hair, but for the post interval portions, when he is confined to an ashram for the mentally ill, he had shaved his head,” Boney tells Rediff Senior Contributor Roshmila Bhattacharya. “I thought that with his chiselled physique, and his hair pruned, he would be a perfect fit for Suriya’s role in Ghajini.”
‘Salman refused to take any money or even a gift for Sirf Tum‘
My association with Salman goes back to Sirf Tum in 1999.
We happened to be shooting in Hyderabad at the same time and I approached him for a special appearance in the Hindi remake of the National Award-winning Tamil film, Kadhal Kottai.
Sirf Tum featured my brother (Sanjay Kapoor) in the lead, opposite Priya Gill, and I wanted Salman to play a businessman, Prem, whom her brother-in-law wants her to marry.
To my surprise, Salman readily agreed to do the film and shot with us for two days.
Since we weren’t good friends, I would say it was a goodwill gesture because he refused to take any money or even a gift.
A love story of two strangers, Sirf Tum was a surprise hit and I went back to him with another film.
‘I wanted him to play Nandini’s husband Shekhar in Shakti‘
Shakti is the Hindi remake of the 1998 Telugu action drama Anthapuram.
Once again, when I approached him, Salman immediately said yes.
Having done a special appearance in Sirf Tum, he must have presumed I wanted him for the drifter, Jai Singh (played by Shah Rukh Khan), who ends up becoming the unlikely saviour of Karisma Kapoor’s Nandini.
But I wanted him to play Nandini’s husband Shekhar.
We never got down to discussing the details because the industry strike, which had brought work to a standstill in Mumbai, ended suddenly.
Salman, who had been working on another film when it had started, had to return to it since there was a big set standing. Shekhar was eventually played by my brother Sanjay.
‘No Entry brought me back into the race’
We did collaborate on No Entry, the official remake of the 2002 Tamil comedy, Charlie Chaplin.
When Anil (Kapoor) approached him, Salman must have assumed that it was for another guest appearance.
But despite being an extended cameo, Salman’s part was beautifully rounded out, unlike the original Tamil film where the character just had three-four scenes.
He plays Prem, a playboy even after marriage, whose philandering ways gets his friends, Anil’s Kishen and Fardeen Khan’s Sunny, into trouble with their wives.
I hesitatingly told Salman that this time I would need 15 to 20 days from him.
We eventually shot with him for almost 22 days, and later, when I needed another two days for patchwork, he obliged without any fuss.
I was not doing well then, but No Entry, the highest grossing film of 2005, brought me back into the race. Anil too.
Interestingly, our No Entry was later remade down South.
‘Nitin Manmohan replaced Sanjay with Salman in Tere Naam‘
Prabhu Devaa was writing a script for me, which revolved around a father and his two sons.
I wanted Salman to play the triple role.
Meanwhile, I happened to see Ghajini.
Suriya’s look in the 2005 Tamil action thriller reminded me of Salman in Tere Naam, the remake of the 1999 Tamil romantic drama Sethu.
Incidentally, I had the Hindi remake rights of Sethu which I sold to Producer Nitin Manmohan.
He was making Tere Naam with Sanjay as the protagonist Radhe Mohan and had recorded two songs and even done a photo session with my brother.
But then Sanjay’s career hit a bad patch and since my agreement with him did not have a clause underlining that he would make the film only with Sanjay, Nitin replaced him with Salman.
In the first half of Tere Naam, Salman sports long hair, but for the post interval portions, when he is confined to an ashram for the mentally ill, he had shaved his head.
I thought that with his chiselled physique, and his hair pruned, he would be a perfect fit for Suriya’s role in Ghajini.
‘When Aamir consented, Madhu and Allu Aravind decided to produce Ghajini themselves’
My representative down South approached the producer for the Hindi remake rights.
He was told by Salem Chandrasekharan that they had been given as collateral to Allu Aravind, who had distributed the Telugu version of Ghajini, but he could buy the rights by paying off both of them.
I subsequently reached out to Madhu Mantena, who was friends with Allu Aravind, for the purchase of rights.
Madhu kept assuring me, ‘Ho jayega (It will happen).’
Meanwhile, Pradeep Rawat, who played the antagonist, showed the Tamil film to Aamir Khan.
For almost six months, while he was debating over whether he wanted to do the Hindi remake of Ghajini, Madhu kept me dangling.
When Aamir finally consented, Madhu Mantena and Allu Aravind decided to produce the film themselves and I lost out.
I wanted to remake Ghajini with Salman, and to this day, I regret missing out on the opportunity.
‘I wanted Salman to see Pokiri‘
While all this was going on with Ghajini, I happened to see Puri Jagannadh’s 2006 Telugu blockbuster, Pokiri.
I thought Salman would be apt for the character of Radhe aka Rajveer Shekhavat.
I wanted him to see the film and had arranged two preview shows, but because of his hectic schedule, Salman couldn’t make it.
I was worried that the Tamil remake would release, and if it was as big a hit as the original, another Bollywood actor or producer would evince an interest in the Hindi remake rights and like with Ghajini, I would lose out on Pokiri too.
I kept urging Salman to see it, and one day, past midnight, he finally turned up at a Mumbai preview theatre to see Pokiri.
My elation was short-lived when I discovered that following a mix-up, instead of the Dolby Digital, they had sent across a DTS print.
Nervously, I waited for Salman’s reaction to Pokiri. After watching it, he walked past me without a word.
I followed anxiously, and before sitting in his car, he just signalled thumbs up.
‘Many say Wanted was Salman’s comeback film’
Salman had suggested Katrina Kaif’s name for the role of the heroine in Wanted, the Hindi remake of Pokiri.
But since the character is initially ambivalent about her feelings for Radhe, I reasoned that it would be better if we cast an actress who had never been paired with him before.
We toyed with several names, including Genelia D’Souza, before settling for Ayesha Takia.
Wanted, directed by Prabhu Devaa, opened on September 18, 2009 and was a blockbuster.
Many say Wanted was Salman’s comeback film.
That’s not true. If anything, it brought me back as a producer in a big way.
Before we started shooting for Wanted, I had discussed the idea of a No Entry sequel with Salman and he was excited.
I had told his manager that I needed at least 90 days this time. Salman allotted me 135 days,
But No Entry Mein Entry had to eventually be shelved for unforeseen reasons.
The day I find another subject, I will definitely approach him.
I’m optimistic that Salman won’t say no.
Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff
