'Salman has never been given a reason to change his ways.'
A R Murugadoss' candid statements about Salman Khan's late-coming has other directors nodding along.
The Sikandar director recently revealed in a YouTube podcast with Valaipechu Voice that working with the superstar was 'not easy', as he never came on time.
Murugadoss said Salman would arrive at 8 pm, prompting even day scenes to be shot at night. He would shoot with children as late as 2 am.
A director, who has worked with Salman, corroborates Murugadoss' view and tells Subhash K Jha. "Salman Khan never arrives on set before 2-3 pm for the morning shift. He then has his lunch, takes a nap and the shoot starts not before 5 pm."
"Most filmmakers find it impossible to work with him but producers like Sajid Nadiadwala allow Salman to do what he likes. Salman has never been given a reason to change his ways."
In 2019, Sanjay Leela Bhansali shelved the Salman-starrer Insha Allah because of the actor's alleged indiscipline.
Bhansali decided to call off the project after apparent interference by the superstar, vowing never to work with him again, even though they worked on two must-watch films, Khamoshi and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam earlier.
Salman and Bhansali remain friends but the director will never work with the actor again.
In 2022, Salman came forward with a project for Bhansali to direct Salman and Shah Rukh Khan together.
The director declined the lucrative offer, saying, Shah Rukh yes, Salman never!
Salman is not the first superstar with a reputation for indiscipline.
Rajesh Khanna, Sanjeev Kumar and Shatrughan Sinha were repeat offenders too.
Sharmila Tagore, who worked with all three, says, "If I was shooting with Kaka (Rajesh Khanna), Haribhai (Sanjeev Kumar) or Shatru, I made sure I reached the shooting for the morning shift after lunch, or maybe later."
"It was annoying at first to be made to wait for hours. But eventually, after working with them repeatedly, I got used to their timing eccentricities."
In his defence, Shatrughan Sinha says, "I had a low blood pressure problem for which I had to do yoga every morning. That, combined with the late nights, were the culprits. But once I came on the sets, I left only when I completed my work."
"Dilip Kumarsaab taught me the lesson of my life during the shooting of Kranti. I would come at my usual SST (Shatru Standard Time). One day, when I entered the set, I saw him waving from his car as he left."
While Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan and Akshay Kumar are reputed for their punctuality, others have normalised late-coming.
Hema Malini is the only female actor with a commanding position equal to the male actors in her heyday and says she would never allow to be taken for granted.
"With me, the notorious latecomers came on time," she said.
"When one of them arrived three hours late on the first day of shooting, I told him I was going home. If he didn't show up on time the next day, I would opt out. He was on time the next day."
Hema feels co-actors are, to a large extent, responsible for superstars' tardiness.
"If the director and the co-stars let it be known that the delays are unacceptable, they would stop," she said.
Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff
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