Never mind the controversy surrounding her weight when bollywood superstar Salman Khan starrer Veer was releasing. Actress Zarine Khan was candid enough to admit that there was a point when she used to weigh more than one hundred kilos. But Zarine, we hear, is aiming to touch Kareena Kapoor’s weight.

Salman’s girl has hit the gym with a vengeance and she is not only going got daily work-outs, Zarine has opted for a combination of everything that she could have done.

“I am going for workouts for six days a week. I let my muscles recover on a Sunday. I have become very regular with my work-outs and try not to miss even one day whatever are be my engagements for the day,” she says.

Not only this, Zarine has hired three separate trainers for every kinds of training she does in the morning.

“My workout regime includes Pilates for an hour every morning with Yasmine Karachiwala. I do weight training thrice a week on alternate days again with Yasmine. I do Bootcamping thrice a week on alternate days with Ajit Mohite. The days I feel very tired to do a bootcamp, I make sure I do some kind of cardio exercises like brisk walking, swimming , jogging etc.,” says the actor.
Though Zarine is reading a lot of scripts, she says that she hasn’t signed on the dotted line yet.

“I am reading a few scripts and some of them are really good also. But I haven’t made my mind up on what would be my next film. I will surely let you know when I freeze on something,” she ends with a smile.

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The very beautiful Zarine Khan created waves with her dream debut alongside Salman Khan in Veer, though the movie didn’t do wonders for her as she is now back to square one.

Nowadays, Zarine is busy attending fashion shows and other events, but in spite of hectic schedule, the girl takes out time every night post work to make sure her make-up man, spot boy and driver have dinner at her house.

Reveals a source close to the actress, “Though Zarine is a star now, success has never got to her head. She is still very grounded and considerate of her spot boy, make up person, driver and those people she interacts with on a day-to-day basis. In fact she insists on them having dinner with her and only then does she allow them to leave.”

Zarine Khan made her debut in the industry with the movie Veer opposite Bollywood Superstar Salman Khan, where she was covered from head to toe till the last. When asked about an image makeover through costume, Zarine was too quick to respond saying she didn't mind wearing the same kinda again but she will never seen wearing a bikini on screen!

Zarine is very much looking forward for her future in the industry. Adding on she says that she is ready and wants to play all kinds of roles. Currently she is in her venture to reduce weight for she is very much aware that Hindi film industry demands it and she needs a good figure for it. Zarine, in all, is very slow and seems to be more choosy. She is waiting for her kind of a role. Seems she believes in destiny!

After making a dream debut Zarine Khan seems to have struck gold. Her resemblance to Katrina Kaif seems to be working in her favour and if grapevine is to be believed she has replaced Katrina from the sequel of the 2007 hit Partner. The David Dhawan directed movie stared Bollywood Superstar Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Govinda and Lara Dutta.

Zarine Khan remains tight lipped about the project and says it is to early for her to disclose anything. Even film's director David Dhawan says it is too early to talk about the cast of the movie which is expected to start shooting this year. Well, Zarine Khan will be on Cloud Nine and why not as not every body double gets a leading role in Bollywood.

Salman Khan’s magnanimous opus Veer releases this week and we give you five reasons to watch the film.

Salman Khan

Of course it goes without saying that Salman Khan is the biggest drawing force towards Veer. After the super-success of Wanted and London Dreams, Bollywood Superstar Salman strikes back with more strength and vigour. More interestingly in this film he plays a warrior, a character that fits him to the T but he never got to play so far. Call it the Gladiator effect or inspiration from our very own Dharam Veer , Salman Khan is looking amazing as a patriotic soldier fighting for his community.

History repeats itself

After quite some time, one would get to see a film which goes in the past much beyond the independence era. Veer has a British setting but starts in early 18th century India when the foreigners were enslaving the country and capturing several territories. Salman Khan plays a warrior from the Pindari community who would fight till the last breath to save their motherland.

The scale on which the film is mounted shows in every frame. Right from the grand sets, to horses and elephants to the action pieces, Veer is magnificent.
2 Katrina for the price of one

The debutante lead actress of the film Zarine Khan made news from the day the film went on floors. Zarine bears a striking resemblance of Salman Khan’s girlfriend Katrina Kaif. Salman seems to have this penchant to cast actresses who bear striking resemblance to his girlfriends. First it was Sneha Ullal who looked a replica of Aishwarya Rai in Lucky – No Time for Love. Now it’s Zarine Khan who resembles Katrina Kaif. Zarine takes the resemblance as a compliment and the curiosity factor will surely pull in audiences.

Even the other actress Lisa Lazarus comes too close to Katrina Kaif. So it’s two Katrina Kaif for the price of one ticket.

Anil Sharma
Behind the great canvas of the film is a humble hero in the form of director Anil Sharma. The man has to his credit the biggest hit Bollywood has ever seen – Gadar Ek Prem Katha. With the authenticity he brought in to the period treatment and the grand scale of Gadar, one can be assured that Veer is handled by the right person.

Mind-blowing Action

Audiences immensely loved Salman Khan’s action image in Wanted and with Veer he is going to just take it further. Finally his chiseled body and bulging biceps are put to better use than mere topless shots in films. The action is directed by one of the most prominent action directors of Bollywood – Tinu Verma and if the buzz is to be believed some sequences are simply mind-blowing.

Bollywood Superstar Salman Khan, who is awaiting his big ticket release ‘Veer’ this month, is now said to be busy with its promotions.

The actor and his leading lady in the film, Zarine Khan, who started their first leg of promotional tour in Hyderabad, was cool and candid and looked quite unruffled by the completely chaotic crowd that had gathered to catch a glimpse of him.

All eyes on Salman Khan
Salman was totally funny and witty during the promotions just like the character he plays in Veer. Flaunting a sword, he said, “My chacha called me from Indore the other day and said, ‘Beta, tere dada ki talwaar toh mere paas hai. Tu dialogue kaise maar raha hai?”

But even while shaking and waving a weapon, Salman lectured his fans against using it saying, “Yeh sab pictureon mein hi achcha lagta hai. Asal zindagi meing isska istemaal mat karna.”

When asked about his trip to the city, Salman responded that he gave his first narration for this film to Anil Sharma in Hyderbad. He expressed that most of his films that had been shot there have become a hit like ‘Wanted’. And this was the reason why Salman decided to begin his promotional activity from this city, hoping to have a fantastic run at the box-office.

The actor who has never done a host of activities to promote his earlier films, like his rivals Shah Rukh and Aamir have, is now supposedly quite busy promoting for his epic to do well.

And when asked about this sudden change of mind, Salman replied, “When you can’t beat them, join them. Earlier my producers and PR managers would ask me to go on a promotional biz, but I wouldn’t care. These days I do. Moreover producers today don’t want to pay. They want everything for free.”

Salman had penned the script of ‘Veer’
For Salman ‘Veer’ is supposedly close to his heart, since this is his debut as a scriptwriter. Although the actor is said to have previously written scripts that were ‘larger than life’, when he finally felt that the time had come to release one of his dream projects, he felt it apt to begin with ‘Veer’.

When asked about how the badly recession-hit industry was able to fund a period drama without jeopardizing the budget, the actor quickly said that movies are made with the audience in mind, who do not care about recessions, and as a matter of fact prefer to watch a good film irrespective of it being over-budget or under-budget.

The Katrina resemblance
Promoting the film with his co-star Zarine khan, who he was being quite protective about, Salman when asked about Zarine’s resemblance to Katrina, stated that, “When I was new in the industry, people said I resembled Sanjay Dutt (which I was very happy about) and Farooq Sheikh. People even said Madhuri looked like Madhubala. I see no resemblance between Zarine and Katrina, except maybe the voice.”

The actor, when asked which woman was instrumental for his success, said, “Quite a few women are responsible for my success, but I’ll not take any names here.”

On the other hand, when asked about certain actresses who are a success today because of him, Khan quipped “I don’t take credit for that.”

All eyes are on the latest entrant Zarine Khan who is making her debut with none other than one of superstar Khan’s Salman Khan. So, expectations are bound to come in the picture. However, when asked Zarine was acting always on her mind as a profession, she comes up with an unexpected big ‘NO’.

Adds Zarine, “I always aspired to be a doctor but financial constraints didn’t let me pursue my dreams. Fate had something else in store for me and I ended up signing small modeling assignments. I didn’t even in my wildest dreams thought I would become an actor. “

She further adds, “However being an actress, I think now I can accomplish my other pursuit of becoming a doctor as well.”

Veer is an epic film slated for a worldwide release on January 22, 2010.

Bollywood Superstar Salman Khan has got a new addition to his family of dogs. And this one has been gifted to him by actor Zayed Khan. After his two favourite dogs MyJaan and MySon passed away last year, Sallu has been in a slump. Zayed, who bonded with Salman during the making of Yuvraaj, saw that he was missing his pets and gifted him a pup of the same breed as his dear departed pets.

Bhai ke liye!
An insider tells all, "Zayed loves dogs. He has three of them -- two Maltese Terrier and one Golden Retriever. He could see that the actor still had to come to terms with the loss. ZK contacted a dog breeder and asked him to get a healthy Mastiff pup, which he gifted to "bhai" He surprised Salman with he gifted him the pup when he met him a few weeks back."

Salman was extremely touched by his gesture and took to the pup immediately. "He is really tiny and over 25 days old. Salman has ordered his staff to take good care and keep feeding him at regular intervals. Since he's busy promoting Veer and is never at home, he keeps calling back and checking on the pup."

Debutante Zarine Khan doesn't mind being compared to her Veer co-star Salman Khan's girlfriend Katrina Kaif and says that the actress is so beautiful that even she couldn't take her eyes off.

"Being compared to Katrina Kaif is a huge compliment for me because I feel she is very beautiful. When I am compared to her, I feel overwhelmed. I have met her a couple of times and she is so beautiful that even I couldn't take my eyes off her," Zarine said.

"Being compared to her is always a delight. Personally speaking, when I see myself in the mirror, I find no similarities."

Zarine, who is playing female lead with Salman in Veer, says that she wanted to be a doctor and that acting happened to her by chance.

"I was always a very brilliant student, but not a nerd type. I wanted to be a doctor. But I couldn't continue my studies due to a financial crisis and the responsibility of my whole family fell on my shoulders. Acting happened by chance. Now I can be everything - a doctor, pilot, everything," said Zarine.

"I was a struggling model and was looking for some kind of work to take care of my family. I was doing very small print ads now and then for saris to earn money to run my house. One day I was home surfing the net when I got a call from Mukta Arts. They called me on the sets of Yuvvraaj. There I met Salman.

"Salman is a huge actor and I am one of his great fans. I started talking to him like his fans would do. I had no clue that he was planning to take me in his film [Veer]. Finally, when I asked for his autograph, he said, 'No sweetheart you will sign autographs for the world'. Later I got to know that he has selected me for this film," she added.

Though Salman chose Zarine, she had to pass an audition test.

"They had auditioned lots of girls because the female lead has two different looks in the movie - one is Indian and other Western. Whoever they auditioned looked good in either of the looks, not both. Some had language problem too. Theytried me and I was lucky enough to fit into both the characters and they signed me," said Zarine.

Veer is directed by Anil Sharma and produced by Vijay Dalani and Sunil A Lulla. The makers kept Zarine's name secret for a long time.

"Even I got strict instructions to keep it a secret from friends and family. I was allowed to give some clue to my parents," she said.

Asked why they were hiding her, she said: "I don't know. I was too junior to question them why they are asking me to do so. I just did what they asked me to do."

Set in colonial India, the film encapsulates a period when Britons enslaved India with their divide and rule policy and kings and nawabs fell for it, except for the Pindaris who preferred death to dishonour and fought till their last breath. Salman plays one of the bravest and strongest Pindari soldiers.

"It's a love story set in the backdrop of a war for independence. I play a Rajasthani princess," said Zarine.

Salman is known as an angry man, but Zarine got to know the caring and understanding side of his personality.

"I had heard that he is a very tough guy, he hardly speaks. But he spoke to me very nicely... may be because I met him first as a fan. In due course I realised whatever has been written about Salman is not true. He is so sweet. He has a heart of gold. He is a very genuine man.

"While shooting sometimes I couldn't understand some parts of my role. I used to be scared that Salman would get angry. But he used to patiently explain how to go about it," said Zarine.

She has already bagged a few offers but she hasn't signed any as she is waiting for the release of Veer on January 22.

He’s bachelor, he’s muscular and he indeed can dance saala…yes we are talking about none other than dashing Salman Khan who recently got two big hits namely Wanted and London Dreams in his kitty. And his brainchild Veer is all set to hit the screens. Salman claims his new venture all about father-son relationship and is leaving no stone unturned to promote the film.

In a candid interview with us, Salman Khan speaks about Veer, his beautiful relationship with father Salim Khan also the co-writer of Veer and his love for kids. Here we go,

Veer is your third venture as a co-scriptwriter post Baaghi: A Rebel for Love and Chandramukhi. When did the idea cross your mind and what made you write a period film like Veer?
The idea crossed my mind when I was 25 years old. I was so excited about the concept- I desired put on canvas by myself. Due to financial constraints for such films need big budget to support, I could not fulfill my dream. Years passed by but passion to make Veer didn’t fade away with them. Eventually when I felt- the story should be shared with the audience I showed the script to the producer Vijay Galani and readily agreed to do it. Moreover, the original script was too lengthy which was re-scripted by my father Salim Khan (scriptwriter). One common factor between Baaghi and Veer is- both stress upon the beautiful relationship of father and son.

Interestingly, rumours of Veer inspired from the novel Taras Bulba are doing rounds, what do you have to say on that?
No, Veer is an original concept though I have read the novel when I was five years old. And I do remember the beautiful relationship there too in the novel which might again be the common factor.
Which are your favourite period films made in Hindi Cinema?
Pause, ponder…so far there are only three classic period films which I feel are par excellence. Mughal-e-Azam, Dharmveer and the last definitely not the least Veer.
What is Veer all about?
Veer is primarily an epic drama but it also highlights the relationship of father-son. I can’t say beyond this. I would rather want audience to decide for themselves.

In the times when female-actors prefer zero-figure to retain in the competition out there; you suggested Zarine Khan the debutant actor to put on weight? Why?
It was necessary as yesteryear’s princesses had voluptuous bodies considering the royal families they belonged to (khate pete khadaan se hote the bhai) chuckles. So, Zarine’s character demanded her to put on some kilos.
How was it working with Mithun Chakraborty and Jackie Shroff with whom you are working after a long time?
Oh, it was fantastic! We had a blast working together after a long time. Both of them are gem of a people and terrific actors. They are quite senior to me as well. And I must admit that Mithun Da is world’s best chef.
Whats your take on the music of the film?
Veer is an epic film so we have to adhere to the sounds of that era. And I think music director Sajid-Wajid had done justice to the music. The duo is really talented. The music is very close to my like the film.

Who is your Veer in real life?
A person who can bear Rakhi Sawant is a Veer in real terms (laughs). Well, on a serious note, my father is a real Veer as he has always faced tough times with courage and I salute him for that.

Talking about your father, you said Veer is a story of father-son relationship. Share some fond memories of you with your father which still bring smile on your face?
(Smiles), Humm, I remember I was small when I flunked in maths. I was terrified to face my father and disclose the fact to him. Somehow I gathered guts to tell him; to which he politely reacted and told me not to worry and spoil my vacations. Exams are not the real test. Still, ‘beta agli baar zara dhyaan se padhna’ (be careful next time and study).

You are extremely fond of kids; are plans to marry and become a father in near future?
I like being with kids and definitely would love to be a father and I’m sure I will make good father but can’t promise if I can make a good husband.

When entire Bollywood is eating, breathing and sleeping Blogs, you too have been a part of it since a long time now. How has been your experience so far?
It has been fabulous! I love to connect with my fans. Like other Bollywood celebrities, I don’t concentrate on vocabulary and flowery language much as it leads one to deviate from the core topic. I write in a spoken language which you could make be understandable. I personal read all the comments of my blog and also address with the same sincerity. I’m enjoying blogging.

All say that Salman Khan’s new leading lady Zarine Khan has resemblance to Katrina Kaif. As the news is flowing from every corner, he is amazed over media reports because he finds no similarities between Zarine and Katrina except their fair skin and sharp nose.

"I am amazed at the hype over the reported similarities. I don't see any resemblance except the fair skin and sharp nose. God has never made two people look alike. If there was any resemblance, I should have noticed it first," Salman remarked.

The producer of the film wanted a fresh face for the role of the Rajput princess and Salman who is not only involve in acting but also looks after the creative sides of the film cast Zarine Khan. He met her on the set of ‘Yuvraaj'.

It was once reported that Salman Khan and director Anil Sharma broke into tussle over some issue of the film, "The intense discussion and fights on the sets between me and director Anil Sharma has resulted into a good product. We have not followed the regular format for a period drama and tried to give it a very contemporary look with elements of emotions, drama, comedy and romance. It should not look like period films are very serious," he said.

So far Salman Khan’s ‘Veer’ has been receiving good reviews.

Bollywood Superstar Salman Khan says he is amazed at the hype over the reported similarities between his 'Veer' co-star Zarine and actress Katrina Kaif insisting that if there were any he would have been the first to notice.

The actor added he does not see any resemblance between the two except the fair skin and sharp nose.

"I am amazed at the hype over the reported similarities. I don't see any resemblance except the fair skin and sharp nose. God has never made two people look alike. If there was any resemblance, I should have noticed it first," Salman said.

He said producers of the film, which he has scripted, wanted a new face for the role of the Rajput princess.

"The presence of an established actress would have looked like as if the actress is playing the role. We wanted an yesteryear look and hence the need for a fresh face," Salman, who met Zarine at Subhash Ghai's sets of 'Yuvraj', said.

Apart from acting and scripting 'Veer', Salman was actively involved in the creative process of the movie.

"The intense discussion and fights on the sets between me and director Anil Sharma has resulted into a good product. We have not followed the regular format for a period drama and tried to give it a very contemporary look with elements of emotions, drama, comedy and romance. It should not look like period films are very serious," he said.

Salman said he does not feel the pressure of the huge box office success of Aamir Khan starrer '3 Idiots' to assert him in the number race.

"If my film is good, it will work with the audience. There is no question of pressure at all. Just because I have written the film does not mean that it is good. Audience has to like it," he said.

To a question on why he chose to write a period film rather than a contemporary one, Salman said, "It is because the story is about being true to your word, enemity, love and how such sentiments are carried on by the next generation too."

"Pindaris were not barbarians as they were made out to be. All they wanted is Azadi," he said.

Salman admitted that 'Veer' is over-budget. "Audiences are not concerned about the budget. All they want is a good entertaining film. The movie is larger than life. I am not making a film to depress people," he said.

Speaking about why his last two films 'Main Aur Mrs Khanna' and 'London Dreams' could not sustain the positive impact of 'Wanted' at the box office, Salman said, "London Dreams was 25 to 30 minutes longer.

"It was an amazing film but the length should have been 2 hour 20 minute. The film's length was trimmed, five days after its release. The length has to be kept as long as it is interesting. Even 3 Idiots is 2 hour 50 minutes but it is an interesting film," he said.

"I was bored seeing my own film then how do you keep the audience hooked," he asked.

Zarine Khan is making her acting debut with magnum opus Veer along with none other than Salman Khan. And now as the film Veer’s release is just around the corner, the debutant actress desires to make her presence at the premiere grand. She wishes wear an attire of 18th century queen like she’s wearing in the film.

Zarine who is quite excited and looking forward to the premiere says, “I wish we would have 18th century theme at the premiere and would love to wear something of that era like I have worn in the film.”

She who sounds very confident about the positive fate at the box office says, “I hope film does well and I’m pretty much confident that it will.”

Let’s see what in store for this new bee in the film circuit. All we can say is All the Best, Zarine!

Ever since the promos of Bollywood Superstar Salman Khan's Veer came out, one person has been the hot topic of discussion - the film's leading lady Zarine Khan. Call it coincidence or whatever, Zarine's uncanny resemblance to Katrina Kaif is something which is hard to ignore. However, to say that she is just a clone of Katrina, would be doing gross injustice to someone who is all set to take baby steps into the world of acting. In an exclusive interview with Zarine, we rewind the clock and take you back in time to give you an insight on how a single phone call changed Zarine Khan's life completely. Read on!

My Background

I am a pucca Mumbai girl. During my childhood, we used to live in Santacruz, I now live in Bandra. I had a very normal childhood. I used to be a quiet little girl with hardly any tantrums. I used to be a very good student in school, always scoring in the range of 90% and a complete teacher's pet. Since I was such a good student, my mom wanted me to become a doctor. So I took up science and joined Rizvi College. However, due to certain family and financial problems, I couldn't complete my education.

Early days of struggle

At a very young age, due to financial pressures, the responsibility of running the house came on my shoulders. That's when I had to give up studies and start working. Luckily for me, I always had a tom-boy streak to my personality. Most of my friends in school and college were boys. When the situation demanded I actually became the 'Man of the house'.

In college I was really fat and weighed almost 100 kgs. So never in my wildest dreams did I or my friends think that I would enter the glamour world. I was just another happy go-lucky-girl enjoying my chocolates and junk food. However, when our family was going through financial turmoil, I became more responsible. I knew I had to take charge of the house since I had my mom and younger sister to look after. That's when I started taking life seriously and began to focus on losing weight and getting into shape. I gave up on sweets, chocolates, started serious work-out and lost a lot of weight eventually. Since I had not completed my education, I couldn't really get a high-profile job and that is when I began modeling. I did quite a few small assignments that fetched me enough money to run the house.

Bagging Veer - My First Big Break

During my modeling days, I got a call one day from someone at Mukta Arts and they asked me to come to the sets of Yuvvraaj. Being a struggling model, I didn't ask too many questions and immediately left for the venue. When I reached the sets, I saw Salman Khan whom I have been a big fan of since a long time. After the shoot, I got a chance to speak to him and told him that I was a big fan of his and even requested for his autograph. He obliged me with his autograph but also told me, 'Sweetheart, very soon you will be signing autographs.' I didn't quite understand what he meant but understood about it later when I was offered Veer.

Salman Khan - The Actor

What do I say about Salman Khan? I am nobody to comment on his acting. He has been there for over 20 years and I am just starting out. He is a fabulous actor. In spite of being such a big star, he never gave me the impression that he was a Superstar. I had heard a lot of stories about Salman being short-tempered and moody but he is far from that. He was really helpful and patient with me throughout the making of Veer.

Salman Khan - The Person

Salman has a heart of gold and is a very warm and genuine person.

Constant comparisons with Katrina Kaif

Everybody keeps telling me about it but when I look into the mirror, frankly speaking I don't see any similarities. That apart, I must add that being compared to Katrina Kaif is a huge compliment for a newcomer like me. She is extremely pretty and has been voted the Sexiest Woman in Asia, what more do I say? I have met her couple of times and she is so beautiful that I simply couldn't take my eyes off her.

Growing up on Bollywood

I am a huge Bollywood buff and watch all sorts of movies. In fact, even the movies which flopped badly have been seen by me that too in the theatre. The theatres used to be all empty and there I was watching a movie. When I was a small kid, I used to like Dharmendra because of his He-Man image. I like strong, well-built men and have also been a huge fan of Salman Khan

Actresses I admire

I really like Rekhaji. I think she is an eternal beauty who just doesn't seem to age with time.

Favourite period flicks

Hmmm...would Titanic qualify as a period film? I really can't think of many but if I have to say one it would be Mughal-e-Azam.



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Nursing a back-ache, Bollywood Superstar Salman Khan wearily finds comfort in nicotine as he sequentially deals with fans, journalists and a friend who wants him to promote an event. In an oddly reassuring fashion, though, we get to see the trademark removal of his T-shirt as his manager makes him try on a merchandise vest. Despite the 70-plus films in a career that has spanned over 20 years, Khan, in our first meeting, comes across as astutely calculated and slightly haughty, with only hints of being jaded.

Asked how much he contributed to the script of Veer which he has co-written, Khan proudly states: "I've written the film. I really felt at home while writing; it was spoken straight from the heart-the way I feel about men, romance." We didn't question the fact that it is a period film, but he continues: "I wanted to do a film on men, father-son relationships and romance, which is why it had to be a period film. There's no romance now, we don't have the relationships people had back then; I took it back to the 1800s as it was a time when men were men, they would die for their word."

Khan states that despite featuring a revolution, romance is a huge part of the story as it ignites the battle. "The film is based in a remote village and is about the Pindari tribe-the British said they were barbaric thugs. They were actually farmers that turned into guerrilla fighters; the revolution basically started from Pindaris," he says, offering a piece of India's history. The plot does take us back to Mel Gibson's Braveheart.

Khan originally wanted to cast Sanjay Dutt in the film which he wrote before he became an actor. "At the time, everything was booming so we couldn't have covered the cost; the recession made it possible now." Asked about whether it was a risk casting Zarine Khan, the debutant from the UK, Khan says: "She's a Pathan girl who speaks Hindi and Urdu well and was spectacular in the screen test. It was pure luck." Despite Zarine being half his age and reminiscent of Katrina Kaif, Khan managed to bond well with Zarine; "Chemistry is really important, as long as you don't take the chemistry home."

Veer, says Khan, also has a social message behind it. "The basic thought was that when everybody starts saying 'this is my country' that you can actually take this country forward. Fighting corruption, fighting ignorance, in all these things you have to take the lead." When asked if he could see himself going beyond the message of the film in fighting corruption or ignorance, Khan dismissed the idea, saying "No, not really."

Khan does have philanthropic interests though, however cursory they may seem. When asked what causes he is interested in helping, Khan simply says "Children." This year should see the full-fledged establishment of his charity, Being Human, for which he has already garnered enough publicity primarily through the sale of paintings he created. "We expect to establish Being Human early this year. The merchandising is going to take time because people started making fake T-shirts."

Post-Veer, Khan will shoot for the third season of his popular television show , Dus Ka Dum. Any more scripts up his sleeve? He says: "There are enough script writers around.

Salman Khan has taken up a new occupation. The superstar has become the advisor of Bollywood's latest heart throb Zareen Khan. Those of you, who might be wondering who Zareen is, let's remind you that Zareen is the so-called Katrina lookalike actress who will be making her debut in the Salman starrer film VEER.

According to Zareen she has no godfather in Bollywood except Salman Khan. In fact it was due to Salman Khan's recommendation that Zareen got a role in the film. She says, "I depend on Salman Khan's advice as far as my career in Bollywood is concerned. I'm a simple girl with no filmy connections and I feel so lucky that Salman is by my side."

The model turned actress is eagerly awaiting the release of her film VEER which is written by Salman Khan himself.

She has been kept under wraps all throughout the making of Veer but now it has emerged that Zarine Khan was instructed to pile on weight for Veer. Zarine was put on a chocolate diet for months to give her a more full bodied look to appear a woman from the past. Zarine plays Princess Yashodhara in the movie where Salman Khan plays a warrior Prince Veer.

Zarine Khan who used to be Katrina Kaif's body double being her lookalike weighed 54 kilos before the shoot was put on a chocolate diet making sure she ate cakes and pastries to appear more curvaceous. Zarine piled on eight kilos in just three months as Salman personally took care of her diet. Her costumes in the movie were also designed in a way that enhance her size.