Salim Khan turns script doctor for 'Sher Khan'

Mumbai, June 17 (IANS) Scriptwriter Salim Khan is back in action and this time for his son's next film "Sher Khan". The veteran writer says it's time to pass on the legacy and that he has a certain ammount of experience that his son Sohail Khan is using for his directorial debut.

He will officially supervise the scripting of "Sher Khan", which will star his son Salman in the lead role, while Sohail will wear the director's hat for the first time for the film.

"Jo maine seekha hai, jo haasil kiya hai woh deke jaana hai. (Whatever I've learnt I have to pass on). It's up to my children if they want to learn from my experiences or not. My advantage as a writer is that I've matured with the years. Stars get old, writers mature. So I guess I have a certain wisdom of experience that Sohail is using," said Salim Khan.

Two writers - Rumi Jaffery and Dilip Shukla - are on board for the film and Salim saab will be billed in the credit titles for his special creative contribution.

Salim Khan, who churned out hit scripts like "Haati Mere Saathi", "Zanjeer", "Sholay" and "Deewar" with Javed Akhtar, says he is lending his experience to his sons.

"I am there in the scriptwriting process of Sher Khan expressly to point out their mistakes, not to breathe down their necks. I don't want to take away the credit from whatever those kids are doing," he said.

"I am a farmer by nature. I like to nurture talent as much as trees. You must have seen when saplings are planted, protection is placed around the saplings to keep them away from predators. I am like that protection for these children who are doing Sher Khan, athough I've to admit they're capable of looking after themselves."

Apparently in the past on some occasions when Salim Saab's suggestion was not accepted by Salman and Sohail the films bombed.

"I don't want to make them selfconscious by constantly questioning them. They are capable of looking after the script. But since they've asked me to help them I presume they think I'm better informed and cleverer than them."

"The only thing that I certainly have which my sons don't have is experience. It's that experience which I am lending them. We're friends working in the same team, plus there's that regard they have for me. They don't cross that line of decorum and I don't demand anything from them."

Sohail says this father "is the script doctor on the project".

"He's guiding all of us. My other writers Dililp Shukla and Rumi look up to him as much as Salman and I. So there's no clash of interest. We all are counting on him to make 'Sher Khan' one of the most special films in bhai's (Salman) career. We've been working on the script for the last one year. And we've just locked it 10 days ago. I start shooting in October," said Sohail.

"However if Arbaaz bhai's 'Dabangg 2' needs extra time, I'd willingly and gladly postpone 'Sher Khan'. Arbaaz bhai is directing for the first time. And at the moment, the entire family's focus is on seeing 'Dabangg 2' to the finish. I can afford to wait. Thanks to my father's contribution, the screenplay of 'Sher Khan' has turned out to be out of the world," he added.

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Sher Khan