Born to a Muslim father (Salim Khan) and a Hindu mother (Sushila) and brought up by a Christian stepmother (Helen), Bollywood actor Salman Khan can truly be called an embodiment of secularism. ‘Bhai’, as he is lovingly called, Salman at the moment is mighty excited about the release of his new film ‘Bodyguard’ which opens on the day when two big Indian festivals – Eid and Ganesh Chaturthi are expected to fall on the same day this year. No wonder the buzz created around the flick is deafening. Bollywood’s ‘Dabangg’ superstar is back again with another masala pot-boiler which is sure to set the coffers ringing at the box office. Trade experts feel that Salman will definitely make a hat-trick as two of his earlier festival releases ‘Wanted’ (2009) and ‘Dabangg’ (2010) had phenomenal records at the BO. However, Salman himself is very nonchalant about the hype and hoopla accompanying his festival release. He said, “The media and the trade say that Eid and Salman have become synonymous, etc. I don’t think like that. This time Eid and Ganpati are likely to be on the same day. I’m more excited about that. Hindu-Muslim revelry is something I cherish. The festive season is all about watching a purely entertaining film. If the promo is boring or ridiculous, then the audience will not come to see my film whether it is Eid, Ganpati or Diwali. You have to excite your audience.”
