My ultimate dream is to become......-Salman Khan

Reality shows have given rise to many a star. While some of them continue to shine even today, others have been lost to Bollywood. Dance India Dance Season One winner and the guy next door from Bangalore -- Salman Khan – is perhaps somewhere in between. We do get the chance to witness his brilliance every now and then, but somehow it has not been constant. He performed for special songs in two films Wanted and Rakt Charitra but was nowhere to be seen after that. Salman is back again on small screen as the choreographer-trainer of the sizzling Yana Gupta in Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa. And the Salman-Yana chemistry has been the talk of the show in every episode. Tellychakkar spoke to Salman on Jhalak, Yana and his future plans.

You have already participated and won a dance reality show, what made you say Yes to Jhalak?
There are two reasons behind my decision. The first one is definitely Madhuri Dixit! And the second reason is my fondness and respect for Remo Sir and Malaika Arora Khan. It is a great show and I feel it is a honour to be associated with this show.

Dance India Dance saw me as a performer, but there is another aspect to me which I wanted to showcase on television. I wanted everyone to see my skills in choreography. This will help me improve as well.

Tell us something about life post-DID. You did two films…what else have you been working on?
DID has given me recognition in the industry. Today I do not have to introduce myself wherever I go. Thankfully, after winning the show, people know who I am and what I do. I believe no reality show can give you the instant success and fame. You have to gain that throughout the duration of the show. And after that, it is only hard work and sincerity that counts.

How is it dancing with Yana Gupta? What are her strengths and weaknesses?
The weakest point of Yana is that she is a Bollywood actress and knows only Bollywood dancing! Her stamina is also low in terms of live performance. You need to have the correct balance of stamina and energy when you are performing live. Yana is also not exposed to Latin American dance so both of us are having to work hard on these points. And that is where her strength comes into play. She is always ready to learn and has zero ego and attitude. When you are doing something as a pair, ego and attitude can be a big obstacle and I am not a person who can handle tantrums. So that way it is great working with Yana.

You two are rocking on screen and there are rumours about you two dating as well…
Well talking about the chemistry it's been talked about from day one! I feel we are lucky to have got those comments from the judges. But trust me when we dance in front of audience, judges, cameras we hardly think about the chemistry. Both of us always try to give our best. And let me clarify that we are just professionals and not dating each other. I am right now focused on my career.

Do you think that such rumours will fetch votes?
I don't think so. The audience of today is very intelligent and they can make out exactly what is happening. They are only bothered about the good performance by a couple and nothing else.

Two of your co-contestants in DID 1 & 2 -- Jai Kumar Nair and Puneet Pathak are out of the show. Are you relieved?
I never considered them as my competitors. The audience is the ultimate competition for me because they always want something special and unique from us. To make them happy is a very tough job. For me, to make them happy is the biggest challenge because ultimately they are the one who are voting for us.

Your popularity in DID was huge. Do you think your huge fan following will work in your favour again?
I am very fortunate to have my fans around. In the social networking sites, whenever I am online, I always get positive feeedback from my fans. When I won the title in DID, I was the first one from South to have won a reality show. I hope my fans will continue to shower their love and affection for me.

What are your future plans?
I am currently working as an Assistant Director for a Vashu Bhagnani film titled Faltu where Vashuji is relaunching his son Jackky Bhagnani. I have learnt a lot from this film. I have joined this because my ultimate dream is to become an actor in a Hindi film.