Sohail Khan talks on fashion, Salman and Salim Khan

Bollywood actor-filmmaker Sohail Khan is the new brand ambassador for the Indian menswear brand Stile by Gulam Ali which opened its first store in Dubai last year. During his visit to the UAE, he also attended a marriage function in Abu Dhabi - of one of Anil Kapoor's family members - that saw the attendance of  Sonam, Rhea, and Arjun Kapoor. Sohail explained he was very close to Sanjay Kapoor (Anil's brother) ever since the duo worked together on Auzaar (1997).
"I had come to Abu Dhabi for a friend's wedding. So Gulam asked me to promote his brand. Incidentally, last year, when we were in the UAE to promote our film, Freaky Ali, we had visited Gulam's store," said Sohail while talking to City Times at Taj Hotel on Tuesday evening.
Talking about his style, the actor told us that he's not much into trends and often takes fashion tips from his kids. "You know, I'm not very fashion conscious. But I do respect the occasion. Generally, I believe in being comfortable and being myself. I mostly wear Toon T-shirts. I get a lot of fashion tips from my kids. When I see them wearing Toon T-shirts, I ask them if I can get a similar one in extra large size. I am very easy with my attire because I don't like shopping. I don't wear a bracelet, watch, rings etc. I may look simple, but then it gets really difficult for others to buy a gift for me," said Sohail while describing his style quotient to City Times.
Meanwhile, Gulam thinks Sohail is a perfect fit for the brand. "Sohail carries Pathani and Sherwani very well. He has that masculine feel and hence he was the ideal choice for us."
Who's the most fashionable Khan?
Sohail revealed that the entire Khan family looks up to father Salim Khan, who is an acclaimed writer, as a fashion icon. "We all hero worship our father. He has been a fashion icon for us. If you keep healthy and fit, then anything you wear looks good on you. When he was growing up, his fashion icon was James Dean. He used to dress up like him and even ride a bike when he was in Indore. He has inspired us to dress up well."
Sohail on his fitness plan
 All the Khan brothers are known for their awe-inducing physique that has won them legions of fans aside from their Bollywood work. So how does Sohail ensure he keeps in shape?
    "I am extremely fond of eating and that comes from my Pathan genes. I used to play football for my college and school. I don't get much time to play any sports now. I gym for an hour and a half for 4-5 days per week. I love to eat biryani and kheer, but there are times you need to restrict your diet for a film."
Who takes the rap?
Salim Khan recently said that he will never write for Salman because if the movie is successful, people will give Salman all the credit, and if the movie fails, they will blame his father. Sohail gave us an insight on the life of Salim Khan and how he constantly helps his sons and other members of the industry with their scripts. "My father can afford to say something like this (about his son). I don't think dad would write for anyone as such, not just for Salman. He is a great guy to go and share your ideas with. He has vision and I know a lot of new directors who share their material with him, and he guides them. He is a part of all our films. Whenever we write our films, we give him a narration. He is more like a script doctor, he advises us what to do. I don't think he has the patience to sit on a complete script at this age. He is bang on with emotions and a lot of people in the industry respect that."
On Salman Khan's next
Sohail Khan, who has directed movies like Freaky Ali and Jai Ho in recent times, tells us about his forthcoming projects. As per reports, Salman will play the title role in Sher Khan. "By the end of the year, I am shooting a film titled My Punjabi Nikah. It has a lot of tradition, dance and culture. And next year, I plan to start Sher Khan with Salman. It's a film on animal poaching and deforestation. The script should be ready by the end of the year and we will start the shoot mid next year."
After Aamir and Salman, It's Sohail's turn to wrestle
Salman Khan and Aamir Khan created wonders at the box office with Sultan and Dangal, respectively. Now it seems to be Sohail's turn to take to the ring. The actor/filmmaker told us that he might play a wrestler in one of his forthcoming projects. He also added that he is not sure whether it will be a movie or a television series. "I might play a pehalwan (wrestler) in the next film. I have put on weight. They expect me to have 4-5 kg more. We don't know whether it will be a film or mini-series. But I will have to look like a wrestler for the movie."
Sohail in Salman's Tubelight
"I am a big Kabir Khan fan. There is so much to learn from the kind of movies he makes. I wanted to experience how he works on his actor. Salman has the title role. It was a pleasure working with Salman, we have worked before as well. Kabir executes his story so well and I wanted to learn that craft from him. Shah Rukh is doing a friendly appearance, but I wasn't around when he was shooting."
Sohail's message to Khaleej Times
"I have been associated with Suhail Galadari and Khaleej Times since a very long time. He's a dear family friend and I genuinely think Khaleej Times to be an in-house newspaper for me... we share all our thoughts through Khaleej Times to the Arab world. Congratulations to Khaleej Times for creating such a big awareness and I think it's a thing that you are doing."
arti@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai