Working on popular character and franchise not easy: Salman

Salman Khan, who is reprising his role of Chulbul Pandey in Dabangg 3, says donning the maverick cop is getting tougher with each instalment as audiences have certain expectations from a popular franchise.

Mumbai: For nine years, he has lived Chulbul Pandey in what he calls is a "parallel existence". If the maverick cop of planet Dabangg defines Salman Khan's superstardom more than any of his other screen avatars, the actor has now opted to become a part of the creative process driving Chulbul's mojo. He has turned screenwriter for the lucrative franchise with the upcoming Dabangg 3.

"Working on a popular character and franchise is not that easy. Audiences have certain expectations from the franchise and it is imperative that the next instalment should meet the criteria," Salman tells IANS.

Getting into the third Dabangg film happens with an obvious advantage. "It is indeed a benefit that the material has been tested and approved by the audience in the form of appreciation over the past two instalments," explains the actor, about the blockbuster series that has played a big role in taking his stature as a pop icon to an altogether different space.

If Chulbul has indeed come to share a parallel existence with him, turning writer of the series was in a way a form of self-expression.

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"While playing any character on screen, I take 25 per cent of that character back home. In the last nine years, with two successful instalments of the franchise, I have been living this character and seeing constant love from the audiences for the character Chulbul. There have been strong thoughts and curiosity in all our minds about the origin of Chulbul Pandey, and his journey -- of how a common man became Chulbul Pandey," says Salman.

Dabangg 3 traces the back story of series protagonist Chulbul, and brings in Prabhudeva as director. While Sonakshi Sinha returns as Chulbul's wife Rajjo, Mahesh Manjrekar's daughter Saiee makes her debut as Chulbul's onetime romantic interest. Kannada superstar Kichcha Sudeep is the antagonist.

Prabhudeva has primarily worked in the Telugu circuit, Sudeep is a big draw in Karnataka. It is easy to see where Salman and his co-producers, brother Arbaaz Khan and Nikhil Dwivedi, struck the brilliant idea of releasing Dabangg 3 in four languages. Besides Salman's home turf Hindi, the film will also open in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada on December 20.

At 53, he is at an interesting cusp of life and career. A few of his recent films (Tubelight, Race 3, Bharat) have fared below the blockbuster expectations that fans automatically reserve for any release bearing the name of Salman Khan. Yet, with every release --irrespective of the film's fate -- his stardom only seems to grow.

"I am always intrigued by and aware of what the audience would like to see. The amount of hard work I have done in my first few films is the same amount of hard work I have put in my recent releases, along with a little more experience and awareness," he says, and then adds: "Of course there is a competition from the newer lot of actors, but that's in a good way."

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A reason he has stayed ahead of much younger actors, despite never losing touch with the signature larger-than-life image that drives his superstardom, is that he has admirably morphed that image to suit changing box-office tastes over three decades now. The idea is inherent in his accepting stand about the sequel culture, for instance, which he reveals when you ask why his biggest hits lately -- the Tiger and Dabangg series -- have been all about repeat mantra.

"Not only me, most of beloved projects are being converted into a franchise. People are curious and eager to watch more on what they like. Indeed I am working on franchises but I am working on individual films too," he lets on.

Almost three decades of tremendous stardom has turned him a box-office demigod, but it has also brought a few storms in its wake. How has he learned to deal with crises and controversies, over the years? "Such is life! Nothing about my life is hidden to people. They know about the challenges that have come in my life and they also know how I have dealt with them, and that perhaps has made me what I am today," he avers.

Enjoying a high that most newcomers only dream of scaling, what is his gameplan for the future? "There is no gameplan, I go with my instinct," he says, with characteristic candour.

With inputs from IANS