Kabir Khan On Directing Salman Khan In Ek Tha Tiger: 'Sometimes I Had To Pull Him Down'
Actor Salman Khan and director Kabir Khan have delivered two of Bollywood’s biggest blockbusters — Ek Tha Tiger and Bajrangi Bhaijaan. While their collaborations have resulted in massive box office success, the journey wasn’t always smooth.
In a recent interview with India TV, Kabir opened up about the initial challenges he faced while working with Salman on Ek Tha Tiger, including a creative tussle during the film’s early days of shooting.
Kabir Khan on working with Salman Khan in Ek Tha Tiger
Kabir recalled how producer Aditya Chopra was instrumental in pushing him toward working with a major star. Coming from a background in documentaries and smaller films, Kabir said the transition happened naturally.
“He (Aditya) told me, ‘Kabir, making a film with a big star is a different beast and a different kind of film altogether, and I feel that you can now step up to that.’ Then we wrote Tiger. I never consciously thought that I would have to do something in a specific way just because Salman was in it. It’s just that the storyteller in me wanted to do certain things because I knew he could carry it off. In a certain sense, fan service also starts to come in when you have a star in front of you and you know you can do all these things with someone of Salman’s calibre.”
Kabir also spoke about the on-set dynamics, revealing there was “a lot of tussle” between him and Salman during the shoot.
“It was just the third film of my career, and here I was dealing with Salman at his peak. It was also his first time working with Yash Raj Films, and it was a new territory for him — action, and we were trying to make it international, so a lot of churning happened. Sometimes I had to pull him down and stop him from going overboard; sometimes he was pulling me up to do more."
He added, "Some discussions were amicable, and some left one of us sulking. Even though Tiger was not completely in my control, I feel that something interesting happened between the two of us — the energy that formed between us.”
That creative push and pull eventually led to a strong understanding between the two, paving the way for their next successful collaboration, Bajrangi Bhaijaan.
About Ek Tha Tiger
Ek Tha Tiger, the first film in YRF’s Spy Universe, was directed by Kabir Khan and starred Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Ranvir Shorey, Roshan Seth, Girish Karnad, and Gavie Chahal. It marked Salman’s debut with Yash Raj Films and became a massive hit, grossing ₹320 crore worldwide.
Kabir and Salman’s recent and upcoming projects
Kabir Khan most recently directed a segment in the anthology My Melbourne, which features four stories centered around identity and belonging, inspired by real-life events in Australia. The film tackles themes such as diversity, gender, sexuality, disability, and race and was released in India on March 14. His next project is yet to be announced.
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