Salman wanted to be a director and make a movie like ‘Veer’

It was close to 20 years ago, that Salman Khan first conceived the idea of an epic warrior’s story that will finally be out in a film directed by Anil Sharma, Veer. And Khan seems to be pleased with the end product. “I always wanted to be a director and would have made this film. But destiny turned me into an actor instead,” said Khan, dressed in a crisp red shirt, while making a fleeting appearance at Delhi’s FICCI auditorium for the film’s promotion. “The budget was too high for this idea then, over 20 years ago; nobody took risks with period films,” says Khan. “You always run the risk of not being able to accurately portray period settings and it can end up being tacky.”

This film has Khan flaunting his body, playing a 19th century warrior of the Pindari clan, who falls in love and fights for his country. But even before we can pick up on similarities between his look in the movie and Hollywood films like Alexander and Troy , Khan retorts, “We were not inspired by any other war film.” The 150 days of shooting in locations across Rajasthan have not been easy for Khan, from riding a horse daily on shoot and long fight sequences, but well worth it, though, if it clicks.