We cornered the elusive Salman Khan for a chat in Kuala Lumpur, and found him in a very serious mood

Kunal M Shah
Salman Khan isn't accessible to the press in Mumbai, but is relatively easier to corner for a chat, in faraway Kuala Lumpur.

Talking about Baabul, which is being shown at the Global Indian Film Awards (GIFA), Salman says that working in the film transported him to his Maine Pyar Kiya days. "Baabul come from the same school of thought as Maine Pyar Kiya. However, we have made technological advances by leaps and bounds since then," he says.

Compared to Salman's last release Jaan-E-Mann, Baabul is different in terms of theme as well as feel. Speaking about the subject of Baabul, he says, "Why is it that we always prevent only women from re-marrying? The film tries to arrive at this answer. However, it isn't a tear-jerker. In fact, the first half is quite funny... It is only in the second half that emotions come into play."

So, what happened to Jaan-E-Mann? Why did it fail so dismally? Salman says, "I think the film failed on an emotional level, and we could not get the message across to the viewers. The film was technically brilliant but I guess there was too much of technique and too little emotions."

Or was it simply a case of poor marketing? Salman merely smiles in reply, refuse to comment. Does he feel that Don was better publicised? "Don was a remake of a huge hit and there was a lot of hype around the film. People wanted to know how the sequel would work out. Believe me, people who have not seen the original Don, loved it too."

Did he like Don? "I think it was okay," he says.