Opinion | Reel Deal: Curious Case of Salman Khan - Superstar Who Refuses to Follow PR Rules

In an industry obsessed with controlling the narrative for image building, Salman Khan remains unusually comfortable letting his heart do the talking.

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In an industry obsessed with controlling the narrative for image building, Salman Khan remains unusually comfortable letting his heart do the talking.

A few years ago, I found myself at Salman Khan’s Galaxy Apartments in Mumbai, with an invitation that seemed perfectly straightforward. We wanted him on stage for an in-conversation session at a Leadership Conclave.

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Salman, however, found the proposition rather amusing.

“Are you sure you want me up on stage?" he asked, a cheeky smile spreading across his face. “I’ll probably say just about anything. That could be trouble," he laughed.

It was a very Salman moment. Here was one of the country’s biggest stars, being invited to speak about leadership, cheerfully warning us that he might be the one person in the room least interested in sticking to a script.

What stayed with me was not the possibility of trouble. It was how little pretence there was in the answer. He wasn’t promising great wisdom or a carefully prepared speech. He was simply telling us what we could expect: Salman Khan, unfiltered.

Years later, that conversation returned to me as I watched him on Bigg Boss 20, questioning why celebrities are expected to have an opinion on everything.

Why, he wondered, should actors be asked to comment on political matters simply because they have millions of followers? They may not know enough about an issue. They may not want to get involved. And why should a journalist’s question automatically require them to take a public position?

It is a surprisingly unfashionable argument at a time when celebrity can sometimes feel like a second public office.

The celebrity who refuses to be a press release

The irony, of course, is that Salman is........

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