Viveck Vaswani explains why he did not collaborate again Salman Khan After Patthar Ke Phool, though he recognized the superstar’s professionalism in certain setups.In a chat with Vickey Lalwani, Vaswani spoke about discipline, creative processes and the experience of working with Salman.When asked if she was tempted to work with Salman again, Vaswani was clear. “I wasn’t,” he said. “I cannot work where there is liquor. I cannot work jaha log daru pite hai, indiscipline ke sath kaam karte hai,” he added.However, he has clarified that he is not against fully collaborating with the actor. “If I get Salman working with them Sooraj Barjatyathen I would,” he said.“With them, because Salman is completely disciplined, a top professional, he gives them his best. If I work with Salman, I would like to give him the best.’
“They want Salman the actor, not the star”
Vaswani pointed out that Salman’s working style depends on the filmmaker. “With some filmmakers, he is in control, like Aditya Chopra, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Sooraj Barjatya,” he said.“They are producers who don’t make films just with Salman’s name. They get the same respect because they are very big banners. They don’t allow interference. They need Salman the actor, not Salman the star.”Drawing the line between creativity and professionalism, Vaswani said, “No, no… I don’t want discipline.”“If you want to change something, sit down with the director, change the dialogues, change the outfit… that’s fine. Interference is fine. But indiscipline is not acceptable.”
‘Salim Saab was there…you have to respect the writer’
Remembering Patthar Ke Phool, he said, “His father, Salim Khanhe was there He wrote the script. Salim Saab was very kind to me.”He added that although Salman suggested changes, the writer’s authority was final. “He was like, ‘Can we do it like this?’ and they were not bad suggestions. But when they were writing Salim-Javed, I heard that they would not agree to change even a single word.’“You have to respect the height of a giant. That’s why those films made it.”However, Vaswani said that Salman cooperated in the discussions. “When you sat with him in a scene, he would think. He wasn’t stiff,” she said.“But if someone said: ‘Change this’, ‘Go to the writer, I didn’t write it.’ So there was a hierarchy that we all respected.”
“Then we were more human”
Reflecting on how the industry has changed, Vaswani said, “It was a very different time. We used to meet, sit, discuss things. There were no laptops, no emails.”“We were more human, we discussed, sat together and worked things out. Today, people send 200 emails,” he added.He also shared that he remains in touch with the Khan family. “I meet them sometimes, at parties, film premieres. They really like me,” he said, recalling his fondness for Helen and his early days with Sohail, Arbaaz and Arpita.
