4 min readMumbaiJun 26, 2026 04:31 PM IST
It has been over a decade since Pulkit Samrat made his Bollywood debut, and through the years, the actor has found a guiding force and source of inspiration in Salman Khan. Recently, Pulkit recalled a piece of advice the superstar gave him ahead of the release of his debut film Bittoo Boss in 2012, words that continue to shape his outlook on success and failure.
‘I don’t have the guarantee of my next Friday’
Speaking to Variety India, Pulkit admitted that he was overwhelmed with anxiety before the film’s release, worried about how audiences would receive both the film and his performance. It was then that Salman offered him a reality check that has stayed with him ever since. “I was incredibly anxious, wondering how the film and my performance would be received by the audience. Salman bhai just looked at me and said, ‘Pulkit, I am Salman Khan. Even I don’t have the guarantee of my next Friday. So, who do you think you are? What are you going to achieve by stressing about it?'”
The advice, Pulkit said, completely changed the way he viewed the uncertainty that comes with the film business. “It made me realize that if someone of Salman Khan’s stature cannot guarantee the box office success of his next film, I have absolutely no reason to carry that stress.” Beyond that lesson, Pulkit also spoke about Salman’s unwavering commitment to cinema, describing him as someone whose life revolves entirely around films.
‘Salman Khan eats, sleeps, and breathes films’
“He eats, sleeps, and breathes films 24/7. Even on a lucky day when he gets just three hours of sleep, he is constantly thinking about his projects, whether it’s spotting the perfect person for a character or brainstorming a massive action piece that the audience will love in the theaters. Seeing that level of commitment made me realize that if I want to achieve even 50% of what he has, I need to work 500% harder. Since then, hard work has simply become inherent to me.”
Pulkit further said that one of the biggest lessons he has learnt from Salman extends beyond films and into the way the superstar treats the people around him. “The way he cares for his people is a massive learning experience,” he shares, adding that despite his global stardom, Salman’s humility at home stands out the most. “At the end of the day, he is still Salim sir’s son. He won’t even lift a finger without his father’s permission. That deep respect and unconditional love for family is something I constantly witness in his house, and it’s a quality I deeply admire and strive to emulate.”
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Meanwhile, Salman Khan recently made headlines after sharing a series of late-night selfies on Instagram with captions that struck a serious note. The actor warned paparazzi against taking advantage of his and his family’s difficult circumstances, adding that he would not hesitate to let the fate of his upcoming film, Maatrubhumi, be affected if photographers continued to invade his privacy.
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On the work front, Pulkit Samrat was last seen in the Netflix series Glory, while Salman Khan most recently made a cameo appearance in Raja Shivaji, directed by Riteish Deshmukh.
Salman Khan most recently made a cameo appearance in Raja Shivaji,