Salman Khan on critics panning Tubelight: The ratings are better than I expected

Bollywood star Salman Khan, who has reiterated that critics don't matter to him, believes he has a reason to be happy with their reaction to Tubelight for they are not as bad as he expected them to be. "I was expecting minus 3 and minus 4 and they gave me 1 and 2, apparently," he said.

Superstar Salman Khan’s Tubelight opened Friday and faced the wrath of a large section of critics who have panned his performance as well as the film’s plot. But Salman, who has reiterated that critics don’t matter to him, believes he has a reason to be happy with their reaction to Tubelight for they are not as bad as he expected them to be.

At an event today, while addressing the negative reviews the film has received, Salman said, “The critics were like really good. I was expecting minus 3 and minus 4 and they gave me 1 and 2, apparently. So, I am very pleased with that.”

Tubelight, directed by Kabir Khan, also stars Sohail Khan, late veteran actor Om Puri, Chinese actor Zhu Zhu and child actor Matin Rey Tangu, who hails from Arunachal Pradesh. The film, which Salman calls the most emotionally-draining one he has ever done, features him in the role of a man-child who has the belief that he can bring his brother back from the war (1962 Sino-India war). True to Salman’s words, the film shows him shedding tears in almost every third scene.

The superstar said that he has been hearing that people are finding it difficult to see their ‘Bhai’, who has been their macho messiah on screen for the longest time, in such a role. “Reports are (about the film) ‘Bhai ko rote hue nahi dekh sakte (We can’t see bhai crying)’. So I, asked them, ‘Rote hue dekhke has rahein hain (Are they laughing while seeing me cry)’? They said, ‘Nahi. Ro rahein hain (No. They are crying).’ So, I said then don’t worry about it.”

He said further, “What happens with a film like this… It’s an Eid release and it has been seen in recent years that there will be song-and-dance so, they went expecting that kind of film but got to see something else. So, now this film is not supposed to be seen with buddies and the thought ‘let’s have fun’. It’s a very emotional film. Howsoever cold-hearted, emotionless a person is, he or she will get teary-eyed after watching the film. This is that kind of a film, where you need to take your parents, grandparents and families.”

When the reporter added that not only critics, but even the audience has given mixed reviews to the film, Salman, admitting to it, said in the middle of her question itself, “Yes, yes.” The journalist continued with her poser, asking whether Tubelight suffered due to the expectations generated by his blockbuster Bajrangi Bhaijan, which had a similar tone and nature.

To which, Salman replied, “I think they were expecting a different film, that’s what I said. But I got so many text messages and so many people told me, ‘When we saw you two brothers dancing, we had tears in our eyes’ ‘That shot when your brother is leaving and you are crying, we got emotional.’ So, we prepared the audience for it, for a simple, beautiful and emotional film about brothers.”

Salman also said that every film will have mixed reviews. When the journalist asked if there’s a sense of failure that’s bothering him with the dismal reactions to the film, Salman, visibly relaxed, laughed and said, “Do I look like I am bothered? I am not bothered. I am sure it’s going to do okay and will get us a lot of respect.”