Rajat Sharma explained that interviewing Salman Khan is never easy because the actor rarely stays visually or mentally fixed on an interview – he keeps looking here and there, up and down, and hardly seems fully focused on questions.
At ‘The India Story’ event in New York, organised under the Viksit Bharat 2047 initiative, India TV Chairman and Editor-in-Chief Rajat Sharma shared a humourous and revealing anecdote about his first proper encounter with superstar Salman Khan on the set of ‘Aap Ki Adalat.’ In a conversation with celebrity chef Vikas Khanna, Rajat Sharma spoke about country, culture, dreams and hard work and then shifted to how a difficult beginning with actor Salman Khan turned into a memorable show and lasting comfort between them.
Why was doing a show with Salman Khan a challenge?
Rajat Sharma explained that interviewing Salman Khan is never easy because the actor rarely stays visually or mentally fixed on an interview – he keeps looking here and there, up and down, and hardly seems fully focused on questions. This made the idea of doing ‘Aap Ki Adalat’ with him a serious challenge in Rajat Sharma’s mind. Adding to that, there was some prior history between them – Salman had said some things about Rajat Sharma, and Rajat Sharma also had said some things about Salman Khan, so the equation was not entirely smooth going in.
The bridge between them, Sharma recalled, was Shatrughan Sinha. Sinha requested Rajat Sharma to invite Salman on the show because his daughter Sonakshi Sinha was working with Salman in ‘Dabangg’, and the appearance would help both the film and Sonakshi. India TV Chairman Rajat Sharma agreed in principle but doubted Salman would actually come; Sinha assured him he would bring Salman to the show.
A tense first meeting: ‘Sit? Discuss what, sir?’
When Salman Khan finally came for the recording, Rajat Sharma followed his usual routine – meeting the guest beforehand to check if there were any topics they were uncomfortable with. But Salman’s body language was completely different. He remained standing in Rajat Sharma’s office. When he asked him to sit, Salman casually replied, “What is there to sit, sir?” When Rajat Sharma said they needed to discuss the show, Salman responded, “What is there to discuss, sir?”
Rajat Sharma then asked if there was anything he did not want to be asked about. Salman shot back, “Ask anything, sir.” This blunt, slightly defiant attitude made Rajat Sharma feel Salman was “hostile”, and he told his wife, Ritu Dhawan, that he could not do a show with someone who came in so combative, because the answers would feel unnecessarily confrontational. Ritu Dhawan reminded him that Salman was a huge star, had come to the studio despite being upset, and that now Rajat Sharma could not simply turn him away. Her solution was to make Shatrughan Sinha the judge on that particular episode.
The courtroom clash over standing and sitting
Rajat Sharma recounted that the original judge who had come for the show was politely told to leave because Shatrughan Sinha would now sit in the judge’s chair. Then they all went into the studio. Salman stepped into the witness box (“katghara”) but chose to stand there rather than sit. Rajat Sharma again requested him to sit; Salman replied, “I don’t sit, sir.”
Rajat Sharma thought, as a film star, Salman should understand that the shot would not look right if he continued standing. Salman then gave a mischievous explanation: “Sir, in the court I go to, I always stand. Raise this witness box a bit; I will stand.” At that point, Rajat Sharma turned to Shatrughan Sinha for help. Sinha thundered in his trademark style, “Khamosh! Mulzim apni jagah par baithen” – and Salman Khan quietly sat down. Only after that did the show properly begin, and Rajat Sharma slowly started asking his questions.
When Salman Khan finally opened up on controversies
According to Rajat Sharma, that episode became historic because it was the first time Salman candidly spoke on national television about the blackbuck (‘kala hiran’) case and the hit-and-run accident case. Seeing that Salman Khan was answering even the tough questions, Rajat Sharma decided to push a little further and asked about Aishwarya Rai. Salman answered. Rajat Sharma then asked about Katrina Kaif. Salman answered that too.
At one point, Salman jokingly complained, “Sir, you are really taking my class today.” Rajat Sharma immediately offered him a chance to reverse roles – if Salman wanted, he could also ask Rajat Sharma questions. Salman Khan declined and instead did something unexpected – he stepped out of the witness box, came into the middle of the studio, and told Rajat Sharma to loosen his tie, open his shirt buttons a bit, sit down, and get into a push-up position.
Both of them then did push-ups together on the show. After about ten push-ups, Salman Khan laughed and told him, “Sir, you are quite strong.” The show went on to become a huge hit because, for the first time, viewers saw Salman Khan completely focused in an interview, addressing exactly those questions the public had always wanted him to answer.
At the end, India TV Chairman and Editor-in-Chief Rajat Sharma said that this is how things work out because if you stay focused and are serious about your work, even a tense first meeting with a superstar can turn into a legendary television moment.
