Subhash K Jha (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 8, 2012)

 

Barely had Salman Khan landed in Mumbai early Wednesday morning and producers and directors queued up at his place, waiting to meet him before he left for the international film awards IIFA function in Singapore. Among those seeking an appointment with Sallu were Sooraj Barjatya, Sajid Nadiadwala, Subhash Ghai, Sohail Khan and Anees Bazmee, who has been waiting for an audience with the actor for the longest time.

However, it was family that scored over all else. As Mirror can tell you, Salman Khan has given his nod to Sohail Khan’s Sher Khan, followed by Shirish Kunder’s Kick. A friend of the actor said, “Salman wants to start Sher Khan and Kick before the year ends. Both Sohail and Sajid Nadiadwala, who produced Kick, have waited patiently. And Salman values loyalty above all else.” As for the others who have been patiently waiting their turn, they will have to simply wait, said the friend.

There’s a twist in the tale though. Mirror readers may recall Vivek Oberoi’s taking a dig at Salman saying “Sher is bigger than Tiger” in an obvious reference to the titles of their upcoming films Sher and Ek Tha Tiger. Apparently, that hasn’t gone down too well with the Salman camp. Moreso as Sohail had registered the title Sher Khan long before the shooting of Sher even started.

A source close to the Khans said, “Sohail has been nurturing the project like a baby. It is meant to be Salman’s first full-fledged homage to kids with dazzling special effects. The title Sher Khan was suggested by Salman. Suddenly, the Khans found the title cropping up in a Soham Shah film. They were disappointed to say the least.”

Making matters worse is the fact that apart from Vivek, Sher also stars Salman’s close friend Sanjay Dutt. The Khans are faced with a dilemma where there can be no better title than Sher Khan for this do-gooder, lion-hearted hero of the masses and yet, with Dutt playing Sher, the thunder seems to have been stolen from Salman playing Sher Khan. Question is, should Salman and Sohail come up with an alternative title or go with the current one?