He has not made too many headlines and is one of the quieter people in Bollywood. Even when he does make a successful splash, he isn’t as loud about it as some of the other Khans we are used to in the Hindi film industry. As actor and producer Arbaaz Khan gears up for the release of his directorial debut Dabangg 2, there is a certain appealing calm to him. He politely smiles for the cameras clicking away while in Chennai for a promotional event on Thursday, as he says, “I’m really excited!.” There is a lot more to the sequel to the 2010 Dabangg, produced by Khan, starring his elder brother Salman Khan and Sonakshi Sinha, he goes on to add. “It’s not only the Dabangg franchise that’s going into a sequel, but it’s also about a character who is loved by a lot of people,” says Khan, about the film’s lead character of a corrupt cop.
The 45-year-old actor, who is married to Malaika Arora Khan, cannot help himself but talk about working with Salman.
“Directing Salman was like directing any other professional actor,” he begins, “It didn’t feel like I was directing my brother. No concessions were made. As far as work was concerned, we had our creative discussions and opinions on the sets. We discussed, we agreed and agreed to disagree, but in the end, we made a film that we wanted to make.”
Having produced and acted in films including Fashion, Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na and Shootout at Lokhandwala, Khan says that despite the fact that he’s played an important role in the film, it is the role of the director that is the most important and exciting to him, “It’s something I’m enjoying much more than all other roles I’ve played so far,” he says. And it’s definitely something that he wants to do a lot more, he admits, “I’m hoping that the film does well, so that I get more opportunities to make more films. “So is Kollywood on the cards? “Maybe,” he laughs. After settling down and getting some good work done in Bollywood, the Tamil film industry is definitely an option, he says. “I would love to explore acting or producing options here.”