Salman Khan supports Saif, says media was biased

Salman Khan, who is back here after the shooting of “Ek Tha Tiger” in Cuba, Friday came out in support of his fellow actor Saif Ali Khan, saying that media should have waited for his version and dug out the facts before running what was carried on television.

“Even the press yesterday was all for the other guy. They didn’t even bother to ask what happened to Saif. Did Saif got wacked first or not? We should have waited for Saif to come out and say what he had to say,” Salman told reporters after he was aksed to comment on the incident.

“We are actors and we have been in the industry for the longest time. Saif has been in the industry for 18 years. We knew the guy,” added the actor.

Salman is the face of the History channel and was attending the unveiling of TV 18’s Big initiative.

Saif was involved in a scuffle early Wednesday at Wasabi, the Japanese restaurant at Taj Mahal Palace with South Africa-based Indian businessman Iqbal Sharma. The latter alleged that Saif abused and assaulted him and his father-in-law and filed a complained at the Colaba police station, the actor said he was provoked to do so.

Following Sharma’s complain the 41-year-old actor was arrested Wednesday evening with two others — Shakeel Ladak and Bilal Amrohi.

Police detained the trio at the Marine Drive police station and later brought them to the Colaba police station. The interrogation of the trio lasted an hour. Later, the actor and his two friends were freed on personal bonds of Rs.3,000 each.

According to Sharma, Saif called him an “idiot” for complaining about the actor’s loud conduct at the restaurant. He said he and his family had requested the restaurant manager to ask Saif and his friends, which included Kareena, Amrita Arora and Malaika Arora Khan, to keep their voices down.

Salman said: “If you have gone into a restaurant, you are not there to manao matam (mourn). You are there to have dinner and drinks. My family was there, everybody was there. I am sure he (Sharma) might be right, but my point is that find out the entire thing and then come on TV.”

When CNN-IBN editor-in-chief Rajdeep Sardesai asked Salman if recently he created any historical moment by bashing up someone in a restaurant, Salman replied: “Other people are making history it seems.”

The actor, who himself has been involved in hit and run case, and scuffles, says the blame always comes on actors.

Salman said: “Always the actors have been blamed, why so? It has always been us,” he said.