Prem Ratan Dhan Payo notches $2.4 million in US opening weekend.
By Raif Karerat
Despite Salman Khan’s latest cinematic vehicle, “Prem Ratan Dhan Payo” recording the largest ever opening of all time for a Bollywood film in India while raking in $2.4 million during its opening weekend in the U.S., the film star has stated he has no intention of pursuing a career in Hollywood.
At a recent press conference to mark Prem Ratan Dhan Payo’s box-office success, he was asked if the film’s success could lead him to consider work in the United States.
Khan, 49, was quoted by The Indian Express as responding: “I am happy being here. I have earned respect here and it has taken time for me to achieve it. I would have to work again to earn that respect and love [in Hollywood].”
“I like to work in India a lot and I like to deliver dialogues in Hindi. Suddenly, after [delivering] Hindi dialogues over so many years, if I do dialogues in English, it would look a bit weird,” he was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times.
However, Khan did not wholly rule out the possibility of switching Bollywood for Hollywood.
“If it’s a film related to [Indians], I might do it but I don’t have any interest or craze for it,” Khan said, according to the Express. “But I have no interest in doing Hollywood films. Our Hindi film industry should increase [grow] so much that there should be no comparison.”
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Khan’s only notable connection with Hollywood came about with his 2007 release Marigold that co-starred Ali Larter of “Heroes” fame. The India-set Bollywood romance was directed by Willard Carroll but was received poorly by critics and audiences alike.