Did Salim Khan skip Big B's birthday bash due to son Salman?

Salim Khan preferred to skip Amitabh Bachchan's 70th birthday bash even though Big B had sent him a personal invite considering they shared an old association

The Big B has scored in several films penned by the writer. But Salim preferred to do a no show for obvious reasons (read: Salman Khan).

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Kabir Khan's acid test, getting okay from Salim Khan

Director Kabir Khan says that when renowned screenwriter and Salman Khan's father Salim Khan okayed "Ek Tha Tiger" without any changes, he felt he has passed an important exam.

"When we were in film school, we used to read Salim saab's screenplay to know how to write a good screenplay. So obviously, when we showed this film to Salim saab, I was a bit nervous. We didn't show him the print but on the editing machine because I wanted to incorporate his inputs or any changes, " Kabir said in an interview.

"But when he saw the film, he was very happy. He hugged me and said the film is very beautiful as it is. Don't change anything and release it as it is. I felt like I had cleared my final exams and I was not bothered about anyone else's opinion after that, " he added.

Releasing Aug 15, "Ek Tha Tiger" has been shot in foreign locations like Cuba. Kabir says it was fun to explore a location untouched by filmmakers for a long time.

"Cuba is my favourite location and it was a special experience. Not just Bollywood but in Hollywood also, no one has shot in Cuba after 1959. So, as a filmmaker the fun there is in exploring a new location was interesting. The people there are very interesting, their music, dance, location. So Cuba will always be special, " he said.

Kabir has earlier directed films like "Kabul Express" and "New York".

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Salim Khan feels Ek Tha Tiger is Salman's landmark film

Veteran scriptwriter Salim Khan feels 'Ek Tha Tiger' will be a landmark in his actor son Salman's career.

Director Kabir Khan, showed the film to the the eminent writer, and he is quite happy with it. "Showed 'Ek Tha Tiger' to a living legend of screenwriting in Hindi cinema.

At the end of the film he hugged me and said - 'Ab sojao beta..'. With a beaming smile he said - 'it's a landmark film for Salman'. It was the man whose films we saw and studied in film school. It was Salim Khan, " Kabir tweeted.

Produced by Yash Raj Films, 'Ek Tha Tiger', slated for release Aug 15, will see Salman-Katrina on silver screen after four years. Their last film together was 2008 release "Yuvvraaj.

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Salim Khan returns to script writing for Salman and Sohail

The brilliant Salim-Javed duo gave to Hindi cinema some of its most important films in the 1970s and 80s before threy parted ways. Since then Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar have been individually active in various creative capacities. Saliam Saab, as he is widely known in the film industry, has always been there as a script consultant for various young filmmakers and writers. 

Now for the first time since Patthar Ke Phool 21 years ago Salim Saab is being brought on officially to supervise the scripting of his son Salman Khan’s film. And the film is none other than Salim Saab’s younger son Sohail Khan dream directorial venture Sher Khan. 

The film already has on board two other writers Rumi Jaffery and Dilip Shukla. But Salim Saab would be the pilot of the plot. He will be billed in the credit titles for his special creative contribution. 

Says Sohail, “My father is the script doctor on the project. He’s guiding all of us. My other writers Dililp Shukla and Rumi look up to him as much as Salman and I. So there’s no clash of interest. We all are counting on him to make Sher Khan one of the most special films in Bhai’s career. 

We’ve been working on the script for the last one year. And we’ve just locked it in ten days ago. I start shooting in October. However if Arbaaz Bhai’s Dabangg 2 needs extra time I’d willingly and gladly postpone Sher Khan. Arbaaz Bhai is directing for the first time.

And at the moment the entire family’s focus is on seeing Dabangg 2 to the finish. I can afford to wait. Thanks to my father’s contribution the screenplay of Sher Khan has turned out to be out of the world. ”

When one spoke to the softspoken, warm and articulate Salim Khan he said, “I am there in the scriptwriting process of Sher Khan expressly to point out their mistakes, not to breathe down their necks. I don’t want to take away the credit from whatever those kids are doing. ”

Continues Salim Saab, “I am a farmer by nature. I like to nurture talent as much as trees. You must have seen when saplings are planted, protection is placed around the saplings to keep them away from predators.

I am like that protection for these children who are doing Sher Khan, athough I’ve to admit they’re capable of looking after themselves. I don’t want to make them selfconscious by constantly questioning them. 

They are capable of looking after the script. But since they’ve asked me to help them I presume they think I’m better informed and cleverer than them. ”

Salim Saab feels it’s time to pass on the legacy. “The only thing that I certainly have which my sons don’t have is experience. It’s that experience which I am lending them.

We’re friends working in the same team, plus there’s that regard they have for me. They don’t cross that line of decorum and I don’t demand anything from them. ”

Apparently in the past on some occasions when Salim Saab’s suggestion was not accepted by Salman and Sohail the films bombed. 

Says the self-deprecating writer-father, “Jo maine seekha hai jo haasil kiya hai woh deke jaana hai. (Whatever I’ve learnt I have to pass on). It’s up to my children if they want to learn from my experiences or not. My advantage as a writer is that I’ve matured with the years. Stars get old, writers mature. So I guess I have a certain wisdom of experience that Sohail is using. ”

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