High and dry

Salman Khan is lagging behind his contemporaries. Is alcohol the reason for this setback?

Salman Khan has a lot of ground to cover if he wants to catch up with his contemporaries - Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan who are ruling the box office. His acting skills and stardom are being questioned after he delivered four big flops last year - God Tussi Great Ho, Heroes, Hello and Yuvvraaj. The failure of Yuvvraaj in particular was a huge setback to the actor. It is common knowledge that Salman is fond of his drinking and is known to entertain his friends with food and drinks at his home. And it is not just his home, Salman is also known to indulge in drinks on the sets.We wonder if alcoholism is to be blamed for this setback in his career. Though he had decided to give up alcohol during the month of Ramzan, sources say that he has hit the bottle again. Sources from the sets of Veer say that Salman has often been having vodka from 7.30 p.m onwards and with friends Boney Kapoor and Raj Kumar Santoshi. An insider from the sets of Veer revealed, “On the sets, Salman draws up a table outside his vanity van and opens up a canopy. Then, he starts drinking. He guzzles down some pegs, then goes and gives a shot. By the time another shot gets ready, he has washed down some more pegs.”We asked Raj Kumar Santoshi if he had joined Salman for drinks on the sets of Veer, Santoshi said, “I did go to meet Salman on the sets of Veer as Salman is an old friend and am planning to make a film with him. Boney Kapoor was there too. Salman does drink but we didn’t indulge in drinks. If Boney went on some other day and met Salman over drinks, I wouldn’t know.”On the other hand, Boney Kapoor denied meeting Santoshi on the sets of Veer. Boney said, “I did meet Salman on the sets of Veer one day before his birthday. But he was rushed and we did not have drinks. I didn’t meet Santoshi there; he had left before I reached.”We asked trade expert Amod Mehra the reason for Salman’s career graph heading southwards. Mehra said, “Salman is less dedicated than Shah Rukh and Aamir Khan. His approach towards his films is very lethargic. Also, he doesn’t promote his films like Aamir Khan and Akshay Kumar do. He has also put on weight as he has taken his body for granted. He is currently at the fifth position among actors. Not just Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan, even Akshay Kumar and Hrithik Roshan are ahead of him. However, I don’t think Salman’s drinking habit on the sets is any hindrance to his performance.” Another trade expert (on request of anonymity) said, “Salman drinks alcohol on the sets since a long time. It’s an old habit with him. But mind you, he doesn’t get high. Even after drinking, he is his normal self.”Whatever the reason for Salman’s downslide, we hope that he pulls up his socks and gets back on the scene with a bang.Despite a text message, Salman remained unavailable for clarification.