Kabir Khan , who started his directorial career with Kabul Express in 2006, has today established himself as a consistently successful filmmaker in Bollywood. Though most of his films have performed well at the ticket window, his films with Salman Khan , like Ek Tha Tiger and Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ have worked wonders at the ticket window as well as garnered critical acclaim. Now, the blockbuster duo is all set for their next outing Tubelight , set to release this Friday. BollywoodMDB.com reporter, Mohnish Singh, catches up with the actor to find more about the film and much more. Excerpts…

What do you like most about your film Tubelight?

It’s my film, so I like everything about it. Anyway, one thing which I really like about Tubelight is the honesty in it. Salman (Khan) has put in a lot of efforts in this film. This is my third movie with him. During Ek Tha Tiger, Salman was very blaze. He was like ‘I have done everything; now I don’t need to prove anything to anyone’. In Bajrangi Bhaijaan, he recognized the character and decided to play it consistently. I think Bajrangi Bhaijaan’s character came very easily to him, because he is inherently a very charming person in real life as well. But in Tubelight, things were quite difficult. Here, he is playing a character which a bit off. Basically, he is playing a man-child. While playing such character an actor can easily to over the top. But Salman ensured that he does not do that. See, Salman comes with a baggage; he is an epitome of machismo. Everything macho about a hero is Salman Khan. He had to get rid of that baggage and then convince the audience about his character in this film. For him, it was doubly difficult, but I must say that as a director I was really surprised by what he brought to the table. There are lot of things, lot of scenes in the film where I, as a director, won’t even take credit for his performance. I have not over directed him at all in the film. He has brought it on his own.

How much freedom do you give to an actor, especially if that actor happens to be a superstar like Salman Khan?

I give full freedom to all my actors. I don’t believe in over direction at all. I don’t do workshop sessions beyond a point; because I feel the kind of spontaneity which is generated on the set can never occur in a closed room. When I sit down for reading sessions with my actors, I am the first one to get bored, because you never get what you want on sets in reading. Reading is just to understand the world of the film. As a director, I always believe that the first take that an actor gives should be without any direction because every actor approaches a character in his own way. This way, an actor brings something which you never thought of. It’s only after the first take that I step in if I need to step in. So, basically, I just lay down the context of the scene and the character and make sure that everything happens within the limit.

What do you have to say about the young kid Matin Rey Tangu who hails from Arunachal Pradesh?

Arunachal Pradesh is an extremely under-represented area of our country, not just in films, but in every field. I am glad that we have got a beautiful talent like Matin from Arunachal Pradesh. This is a big film, a big platform. People will watch him. I think now we have come out of that zone where there used to be only one type of actor, one type of character and certain kind of look. I think now the audience feel more excited when new faces prop up on screen every now and then. We did the same thing in Bajrangi Bhaijaan. Except Salman Khan, the whole world was new in the film. I believe the audience watches a film to see the star, but supporting cast adds the credibility to the whole world created for the screen. They make the world more believable. So, we are very glad that we bought a child artist like Matin all the way from Itanagar. All credit goes to Mukesh Chabra. I think he has a great knack for spotting talent. He spotted Harshali Malhotra, now Matin. I am really happy that we could get a talent like him.

What is the most important thing for you when you decide to make a film, a great story or big stars?

It’s always a story. I thing story is always important. If the story is not good, no film can work. Our audience has time and again proved that if you don’t serve them a good story, they won’t accept your film no matter how many big stars you have cast in the movie. The definition of conventional cinemas has changed a lot over the years. Earlier, a Hindi film needed to justify certain parameters, but now it’s not necessary. Did you see any love story, high-octane action, or lip-synched songs in Dangal? No. Still, it is the highest grossing film of Indian cinema. It just shows the story is king. Bajrangi Bhaijaan is the antitheses of a Salman Khan film. The conventionalism of his films is that they shout have superb action, beautiful locations and songs. But Bajrangi Bhaijaan had nothing. It’s a story of a small kid. There is no love story. Kareena Kapoor plays a very small role in it. Still, it is one of the biggest films till date. So, the audience has just proved that they are going for a story. Yes, a superstar will get a wider appeal, with bigger numbers initially. But if the story is not good, the audience will run away fast.

All your films talk about two countries and their relationship with each other. Is there any particular reason for weaving your stories around two nations?

I never designed that on purpose. It just happens, maybe because of my backdrop as a documentary filmmaker. I have worked a lot on international politics. There is a renowned journalist in New Delhi who I have worked with a lot. I have visited around 60-70 countries with him, doing news, features, and documentary features. This helped me broaden my horizon. Then you realize that the news which you listen to is not always correct. When you go down to the ground reality, you realize it is a totally different story. BBC and CNN are telling something else, but the reality is totally different from that. I was always fascinated by all this. If you see a lot of my films align a gap, a gap which is between a story told to us and a story which should have been told to us. My stories lie in that gap. I always make sure that my stories have a real backdrop. So, somehow, this backdrop of two countries creeps into my stories all the time.

This is your third film with Salman Khan after two blockbusters like Ek Tha Tiger and Bajrangi Bhaijaan. How do you end up roping in him for almost all your films?

(Laughs) I think it is because of the comfort level that we share with each other. Earlier, we had done two films together, so we are much familiar with each other’s working style, due to which it takes less time on the set. If we are discussing something, I know how will he approach the character and he knows what exactly I want in the scene.

What do you like most about him?

I think he wears his heart on his sleeves. Whatever is there in his mind, it manifests on his face. He never has hidden agendas. He is very clean at heart. One thing I really like about him is that he is always concerned about the crew. He makes sure that everyone is alright, living conditions are good and everyone gets good food.