I don’t know Bharat Shah at all -- Salman

I don’t know Bharat Shah at all -- Salman
RAHUL VENKIT

PUNE, JAN 21: ‘‘If the film industry is going down, the seniors in the industry should do something about it. Who is going to listen to a Salman Khan?,’’ said Bollywood’s macho man, breaking his silence at a press conference just before the start of ‘‘Thumbs Up Rhythm 2001.’’

Asked about his opinion on underworld dons producing films, Salman remarked, ‘‘It would not be fair to say that no nexus exists in the industry. We can have one or two strange people financing films.’’

On allegations hurled at him vis-a-vis the Bharat Shah case, the actor emphasised, ‘‘I don’t know Bharat Shah at all. Well, my own brother is into financing but there is nothing wrong there.’’ Salman went on to say that the police are doing ‘‘damn good work’’ in its investigations and it was about time they started doing something about the problem.

With his name being linked to the numerous scandals doing rounds, will it affect his career? Retorted a spirited Salman, ‘‘As long as I have my fans, nothing can affect me. The only other person who can hamper my career is God.’’ He continued, ‘‘For a man who has been in the industry for more than a decade, I think I am doing pretty well for myself. The press in Mumbai keeps making accusations against me, but that has not affected me at all.’’

Salman lashed out at the press for continuously bombarding him with negative publicity. ‘‘Why should my personal life make front pages in newspapers? Why is Salman Khan that important? It is easier for newspapers to make news of out negative writing. The press prefers to publish skeptical articles just so that they can sell more copies.’’

Salman then announced that Chori Chori Chupke Chupke was slotted for release in two to three weeks time. With that, Salman Khan and Karishma Kapoor both looked forward to having a great time in the ‘Thumbs Up Rhythm 2001’ show.