Salman Khan's US concerts have seen a slump in audiences, which is becoming common for Bollywood live shows worldwide.
He is the first Bollywood star to admit it.
Says he, "People who come for the concerts are extremely receptive but attendance is low because ticket prices are too high. Even at a Madonna or a Michael Jackson concert, tickets are priced around $25. For Indian concerts, ticket prices are hiked up to $150 to $200. The Asian community in the US loves our concerts. But how can they spend $100 on tickets if that is their monthly income?"
Khan, who has already toured four US cities, will now perform in San Francisco, Vancouver, Atlanta, Toronto, Chicago, Orlando and New Jersey. He will visit Europe before returning to India on July 6.
Contrary to rumours, he has not been dropped from Carol Willard's Indo-American love story Marigold. The actor held extensive discussions with the director on his US tour. He plans to shoot for Marigold in January, for six to nine weeks, though the producers prefer October.
Khan plans to start his home production Lucky -- to be directed by Vinay Sapru and Radhika Rao -- in September. Lucky, which he says has a "beautiful story," is a love story set during the Russian civil war.
Sounding excited about his first international film, Khan says, "Marigold is not one of those crossover films. It is a proper Hollywood film. And it will get Asian cinema a lot of respect."
The star is very impressed by the working style in Hollywood. "They know exactly what they want and how to get it."
