“Yeh paise kahan hai, bhai? Kidhar?”… Salman Khan’s funny reaction on being featured in Forbes’ highest earning entertainers list

By Mid-Day -

June 26, 2017 - 5:07 PM IST

A few days ago the media went berserk with the announcement of the Forbes highest earning entertainers. Interestingly, sharing the roaster alongside some of Hollywood’s leading artists were out very own actors Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan. The daily tabloid Mid-Day caught up with none other than the star of the recently released film Tubelight, Salman Khan for a tete-e-tete abour being listed as one of the highest earning entertainers. Below are excerpts of the same:

“Yeh paise kahan hai, bhai? Kidhar?”… Salman Khan’s funny reaction on being featured in Forbes’ highest earning entertainers list

That said, my dad (screenwriter Salim Khan) once asked me during that phase: "You're the highest paid actor in India, but how much money do you think you have?" We went into the numbers, and he said that today, if there's a medical emergency in the family, and if money can save the person, we would not have the funds to make it happen. Because, after all the court cases, lawyer fees, etc., money used to come, and the same money used to go. Coming, going, coming, going… It started from magistrate court, then sessions court, then High Court, then Supreme Court; 20 years, bro! And people are thinking: Look at this upstart; he's romancing the hottest women, smiling (on screen). Arre, that's my job!

What gets your goat?
Now, say if someone comes and asks me something straight up, like this whole marriage shit. They're really not interested, you know that. They just want to chhapo that marriage thingy. That pisses me off. For me, I think marriage is a waste of money!

Well, there's acting and there's stardom. One of the things we noticed, for example, with the new Forbes' highest earning entertainers list that just came out…
You know Shah Rukh and I were speaking last night, and we said, "Yeh kya (Forbes' list) hai? Hamesha, we fall short of money to buy this or that…" I still haven't been able to buy my house. I used to fall short by a few lakhs before, and then it became a crore, then few, and now I'm short by quite a few crores to buy my own place. And then this Forbes' list!

Which explains your $37 million per annum of personal income on the Forbes' list! Coming back to which, what do you do with that money; from what we know, you still live in a one-bedroom at Galaxy apartment.
I don't have that money. I seriously don't have that money. I was going through it and going, "Yeh paise kahan hai, bhai? Kidhar?" When a film makes Rs 500 crore, only a very nominal amount from that comes to you. It's just that your business is worth Rs 500 crore.

Of course you do. Forbes can't get away with lying in their report!
Arre, Forbes ko kya pata ki mere kharche kitne hain? Every time the lawyers go to court for me, they charge as much, or even more, than I make. We do about, what, 10 appearances in a year? Inke ho jaate hain 70-80 appearances in a year! (laughs)