Letter from a Fan

Dear Salman,I KNOW everyone affectionately addresses you as bhai but you know I refuse to ever call you that. And while you digest this, let...

Dear Salman,

I KNOW everyone affectionately addresses you as bhai but you know I refuse to ever call you that. And while you digest this, let me inform you I haven8217;t forgotten your 8216;8216;Purana Salman8221; theory.

The first time you told me about it was exactly a year ago, on a rainy morning at the Taj Land8217;s End in Bandra, just three minutes from your ground floor apartment in Mumbai. I can still see the perplexed expression on your face as you tried to figure out why you were getting so much positive press. 8216;8216;I don8217;t understand why the media is writing good things about me. Jo pehle karta tha, wahi ab bhi kar raha hoon I am still doing what I used to do,8217;8217; you said. That was when box-office successes Garv and Mujhse Shaadi Karogi had been quickly followed by your much-publicised saviour act involving a group of youngsters in the neighbourhood.

That day, you were on a serious philosophical trip. You looked me in the eye, took a sip of your black coffee8212;no sugar just like me, that8217;s why I remember8212;and predicted, 8216;8216;Dekhna, ek galat article chap jayega aur main phir se wohi purana Salman ban jaoonga Just watch, one negative article and I8217;ll be the same old Salman again8217;8217;.

You8217;re no Nostradamus, but then I guess you know your life better than any of us. After all, it8217;s a pattern now. Every couple of years or so, you end up grabbing the headlines for the worst possible reasons.

The recent audio tapes scandal is classic Salman Khan. Who cares if it8217;s your voice? The point is this is just the latest in a line-up that includes all those alleged deeds of black buck poaching, the American Express bakery accident where a man lost his life, your midnight drama outside former girlfriend Aishwarya Rai8217;s house, your media-bashing spree outside the Enforcement Directorate8217;s office. Phew!

Not to mention that ridiculous 42-calls living room drama orchestrated by actor Vivek Oberoi. Alright, so it wasn8217;t you who made it a free-for-all press briefing. But hello, it involved you, didn8217;t it? And now, this one.

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Sure, you8217;re upset. You haven8217;t been to the shooting of good pal Sajid Nadiadwala8217;s Jaan-E-Man since the story broke. And other than a visit to the Andheri police station, you haven8217;t left your house for over a week. Maybe, this is a good time to sit back and think about all those who are as upset as you are. And no, I don8217;t mean your family and friends. I8217;m talking about your fans, who have supported you through all the ups and downs.

We8217;ve spoken about it on several occasions. How you credit your stardom not to your directors but to your fans. And what8217;s that famous line you always supply at every press meet or interview? Yeah, I got it: 8216;8216;Nobody made me, so nobody can break me. I don8217;t need anyone as long as my fans support me.8217;8217;

I8217;m reminded of one particular incident when a bunch of girls met you in Delhi at the premiere of Tere Naam. I8217;m sure even you haven8217;t forgotten that teenager with the Sania Mirza spectacles who came up to you in the lobby of the Maurya Sheraton and passionately pleaded, 8216;8216;Please Salman, don8217;t do anything that makes me feel guilty about liking you. All my friends tell me I need therapy because I like you. I8217;m tired of defending you all the time.8217;8217; You ruffled her hair, gave her a shy smile and said, 8216;8216;Yeah, I can understand that. Sorry about all this nonsense. I promise you, now there will be no more.8217;8217;

	SALMAN SAYS
	8226; I am God8217;s favourite child 8226; In life, go straight and turn right 8226; Live today, keeping yesterday in mind 8226; Try not to be human, because they make many mistakes 8226; When you take a stand, you lose something. And if you don8217;t take a stand, you are weak. You can never win Story continues below this ad

You didn8217;t live up to your promise, Salman. That girl must be hurting bad. She doesn8217;t deserve this time and again. Come on, you have to take responsibility as a public figure. Don8217;t give me that hogwash about 8216;8216;There are no heroes in the world. There are just human beings, who are reacting in the right manner in non-ideal situations8217;8217;. I8217;ve heard that many times. And it doesn8217;t help.

It8217;s time to come out of your schizophrenic inertia. It8217;s alright for you to refuse Baazigar because you thought the negative role would influence the youth. Well, Shah Rukh did it and was just chosen youth icon of the year!

It made for great television viewing when you promoted Tere Naam with a plea to your fans that they not imitate anything your character does. 8216;8216;Don8217;t smoke like me or waste your life for a girl,8217;8217; you8217;d declared. I8217;m not even going to mention Ash here. You know better.

Recently, you reprimanded co-star Priyanka Chopra for her negative role in Aitraaz because you thought it wasn8217;t good for her image. You told her the reason your fans have backed you is because you always play the good son and the perfect lover in your movies.

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But how long will you continue this act? Aren8217;t you tired? Your fans certainly are. Tired of defending you, rooting for you and praying for you. It8217;s time you took charge of your life. A person doesn8217;t get too many chances. You8217;re turning 40 in December. Isn8217;t it high time you grew up? Do it for that girl in Delhi.