Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Kabir Khan and Salman Khan dream team set to Tubelight Eid

By Asjad Nazir

THE first time ace director Kabir Khan teamed up with Salman Khan was for blockbuster action film Ek Tha Tiger and the second time was for one of Bollywood’s all-time highest grossing movies Bajrangi Bhaijaan.


The actor-director dream team look like making it three super hits in a row with this year’s big Eid release, Tubelight, which releases globally this month. Based loosely on Hollywood film Little Boy, the emotional 1962-set war drama sees the acclaimed filmmaker presenting Salman Khan in a never before seen way.

Eastern Eye caught up with Kabir to talk about the film, his working relationship with Salman Khan, inspirations, cinema and more.

How do you feel a few weeks before the release of your movie when everyone is expecting it to clock up big numbers?

To be honest I don’t really think of the numbers. I think if you take the stress of numbers it takes away the whole joy of your film. If I am happy with the film I have made, which I am, then to a certain extent I am excited to show it to the world. If I take the burden of numbers it could lead to anxiety and I don’t think I should look at my film through the prism of numbers.

I do understand there will be expectations because I am coming out with a Salman Khan film and our last two together did big numbers. Everyone hopes their film will be do better than the last and it so happens our last one was a giant. But I am not thinking of all these things. I am happy with the film and busy with the last minute post-production and marketing.

You sound remarkably calm considering the scale of expectations surrounding Tubelight?

I don’t get anxiety and am happy with the film. I am just curious about the reaction. Nervousness and anxiety would only come in if I wasn’t too happy with the film. Tubelight is exactly the way I wanted to make it and I think the confidence comes from there.

How has your working relationship with Salman Khan evolved across the three films you have done together?

Like all relationships there have been ups and downs. For our first film we were not quite sure how the other person thought or approached a scene. We were beginning from two different sensibilities and worlds. I had come from a world of documentaries and had done just two feature films, Kabul Expres and New York, which didn’t have lipsync songs. I always wanted to peg a scene to logic or reality. Salman would look to see how he could make the scenes larger than life and more entertaining. So there were always struggles. I think in that struggle we ended up understanding one another’s sensibilities and aesthetics.

That must have helped when you both worked on Bajrangi Bhaijaan?

I think with Bajrangi Bhaijaan we managed to blend the

two sensibilities and get the best of both worlds. So there was larger than life storytelling, but at the same time there was an effort to keep it real in terms of the visual palette, and the motivations of the character. That worked for us. The whole climax could never really happen on the India-Pakistan border, but by that time the audience is with us and the characters. They want it to happen and no one questioned it.

How did things change in Tubelight because you have presented Salman Khan in a way he has never been seen before?

I agree Asjad, he really has never been seen like that and the way he has performed. What you are seeing in the promos is just the tip of the iceberg. We have kept our cards close to our chest and haven’t really revealed everything that he has done in the film. I think he has for the first time really brought in his craft, which he always had. This time I could really see him struggling and thinking as an actor. Doing his homework almost to the point of being nervous before approaching a scene, asking questions and looking for support. That was for me a big change. Bajrangi was a little different to what he had done before, but it came easy for him because he was relying on his charm.

The audience does find him endearing.

(Smiles) He is endearing and it came easy to him. In Tubelight I was pushing him as an actor because I think the character he plays is an extremely difficult one. He could never go completely off and never look completely normal. So I think it was quite a struggle for him – how to keep that going. How to modulate his voice, his body language and at the end of the day we are talking about Salman Khan who is known for his machismo in Bollywood. So when he comes on screen there is a certain expectation of how he will look or what he will do. To find all that and send the character to the audience has been quite a struggle and I am happy to say he has pulled it off.

How did you find the gorgeous leading lady Zhu Zhu?

Yes it was a wide hunt. We needed a Chinese heroine because the character is Chinese. We got in touch with people in China and Hong Kong. We did various auditions and that is how we zeroed in on her. She had everything we were looking for. She spoke brilliant English so there was no communication problem. She had done international projects before, including Hollywood film Cloud Atlas and Netflix series Marco Polo. She had the correct attitude to jump into another foreign project. She loved the script and the character, which is beautiful. Her character is elegant, dignified and the voice of reason in Tubelight. She was up for the challenge and wanted to experience working in Bollywood.

Tubelight is an adaptation of Hollywood film Little Boy. How close is it to the original?

There are similarities of course because we have officially taken the story rights. But I firmly believe you have to make the film your own. I have been offered many opportunities to remake foreign features and have been through the catalogues of three big studios, but had never been excited about the remake of an international film. Then there was this one small film I would never have seen had it not been for one of my assistants. Something said this can be brilliantly adapted to our conditions and have that correct resonance. Something about it stuck in my mind. I kept thinking about it for a month and realised there is a perfect adaptation for this in India. So I made some changes and thankfully the makers of Little Boy were agreeable that we wouldn’t remake it, but adapt it to our history and bring in our characters.

What is your favourite moment in Tubelight?

I think a film becomes really good when a lot of great moments come together. So it’s difficult for me to select just one. There is one I really love, but unfortunately can’t mention yet as it would be a bit of a spoiler. I am really happy with Tubelight so there are many moments in the film that work for me. I have been watching it from an audience point of view and thoroughly enjoying it.

What are your hopes for Indian cinema? They are making small independent movies and big blockbusters.

I just hope the two continue. The only problem in our industry is that the big blockbusters and star driven ones squeeze out smaller films in terms of budget, screen space and capturing people’s imaginations. That is not healthy or nice for an industry. I think what is healthy is to do what we are celebrated for, the big Bollywood musicals with stars, song and dance, along with nice smaller independent films. If both can continue developing that would be great.

Foreign territories like China are embracing Indian cinema in a big way.

Yes, that is fast emerging as a market for us. Dangal has done incredibly well there. I myself am working on an Indo-China concept, which hopefully can be a true collaboration between the industries. I think the only way we can go is up and a lot of growth will come into the industry in a huge way. Also more platforms in which we will showcase will emerge including a web based one.

Finally, what inspires you as a director?

I basically react to stories. It could be a headline in a newspaper, something I have experienced in one of my travels or something I’ve heard or read. If a story begins to excite me then that is it and I just completely go for it.

Tubelight is in cinemas on June 23.

More For You

Human brain continues forming neurons

Neurogenesis, the process by which new neurons form in the brain

iStock

Human brain continues forming neurons well into old age, study finds

Key points

  • New neurons continue forming in the brain’s hippocampus into old age
  • Study confirms presence of neural progenitor cells in adults
  • DNA carbon dating and single-nucleus RNA sequencing were used
  • Research shows variation in neuron production between individuals
  • Findings could aid treatments for neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders

Human brain shows ongoing neuron formation into older age

A new study has confirmed that the human brain continues to produce new nerve cells well into late adulthood, challenging previous assumptions about age-related decline in neurogenesis. The findings, published in the journal Science, provide fresh insight into how adaptable the brain remains over a lifetime.

Neurogenesis, the process by which new neurons form in the brain, is known to occur in the hippocampus — a region involved in memory. While previous research has suggested that this process continues throughout life, there has been limited concrete evidence of the presence of neural progenitor cells in the adult brain.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kent County Show 2025

Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, who grew up in Brenchley

Getty Images

Kent County Show opens with royal visit from Duchess of Edinburgh

Key points:

  • Day one of the Kent County Show begins at Detling Showground near Maidstone
  • The Duchess of Edinburgh visits the event for the first time in 16 years
  • Organisers expect up to 70,000 visitors over the weekend
  • Farming and rural life are at the centre of the three-day programme
  • Highlights include live camel racing, equine sports, livestock displays and more

Kent County Show opens with royal visit

The Kent County Show returned to Detling near Maidstone on Friday, marking the start of a major three-day celebration of farming, food, and rural living. The event opened with a special visit from the Duchess of Edinburgh, who is attending for the first time in 16 years.

Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, who grew up in Brenchley near Tunbridge Wells and serves as patron of the Association of Show and Agricultural Organisations (ASAO), met with farmers, equine exhibitors, and local businesses on her tour of the showground.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sri Aurobindo

Heehs’s biography is grounded in extensive archival research across France, England, India and Israel

AMG

Sri Aurobindo and the rise of the Asian century

Dinesh Sharma

My friend and colleague, the American historian Peter Heehs, who has lived in Pondicherry, India, for decades, recently published a compelling new biography, The Mother: A Life of Sri Aurobindo’s Collaborator (2025). Heehs previously authored The Lives of Sri Aurobindo (2008), which remains one of the most balanced and scholarly accounts of Aurobindo’s life.

According to Heehs, most previous biographies of the Mother were written for devotees and relied on secondary sources, often presenting her as a divine incarnation without critical engagement. “Such biographies are fine for those who see the Mother as a divine being,” Heehs said, “but they can be off-putting for readers who simply want to understand her life – as an artist, writer, spiritual teacher, and founder of the Ashram and Auroville.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Black women cancer risk

Serious public health challenges in the decades ahead

iStock

Study warns of rising uterine cancer rates, with Black women hardest hit

Key points

  • Uterine cancer cases and deaths are projected to rise significantly in the US by 2050.
  • Black women are expected to experience the highest increase in incidence-based mortality.
  • A new model predicts incidence rising to 86.9 cases per 100,000 for Black women and 74.2 for White women.
  • Researchers stress the urgent need for improved prevention and early detection strategies.

Sharp increase in uterine cancer predicted over next three decades

Uterine cancer, currently the fourth most commonly diagnosed cancer among women in the United States, is projected to see a substantial rise in both cases and deaths by 2050, particularly among Black women. A new study led by researchers at Columbia University warns of worsening racial disparities in outcomes if preventative measures are not introduced.

This year alone, around 69,120 new cases of uterine cancer and nearly 14,000 deaths are expected in the United States. However, projections by the Columbia University research team, published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, indicate a significant increase in both incidence and mortality over the next 30 years.

Keep ReadingShow less
Tesco Scotch Egg recall

Tesco has issued an urgent product recall for two batches of Wall’s Scotch Eggs

Tesco

Tesco recalls Wall’s Scotch Eggs over salmonella contamination

Key points

  • Tesco and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) have issued an urgent recall for Wall’s Scotch Eggs.
  • Salmonella contamination has been confirmed in two batches with a use-by date of July 2, 2025.
  • Customers are advised not to eat the affected items and return them to any Tesco store for a full refund.
  • No other Wall’s products are affected by this recall.

Wall’s Scotch Eggs recalled due to salmonella risk

Tesco has issued an urgent product recall for two batches of Wall’s Scotch Eggs after salmonella contamination was confirmed. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) supported the decision and has advised customers to check their kitchens and dispose of or return the products immediately.

The recall applies specifically to Wall’s 2 Classic Scotch Eggs 226g and Wall’s The Classic Scotch Egg 113g, both with a use-by date of 2 July 2025. Customers who purchased either product are urged not to consume them due to the potential health risk.

Keep ReadingShow less