Bollywood star Salman Khan has spoken about his decision to remain unmarried, saying it was entirely his choice, while revealing that he hopes to have children one day.
The 60-year-old actor made the remarks during his appearance on the opening episode of the ninth and final season of filmmaker Karan Johar’s celebrity chat show Koffee With Karan, the Indian Express reports.
Salman, who has long kept his relationships away from the public eye, said he was happy with the choice and had no one else to blame.
“Nobody stopped me from getting married; I stopped myself,” he said.
“So, you cannot complain that ‘this is what I wanted and the whole world went against me, which is why I couldn’t be with a partner.’ I can’t blame anyone because it was my decision, and I am happy with it.”
But the actor said he still wanted to experience fatherhood.
“I do want to have children at some point. That’s the most amazing thing,” Salman said, adding: “Kids will come into the picture one day.”
Karan also revisited Salman’s much-discussed “I’m a virgin” remark from the fourth season.
Salman said the comment was his way of sidestepping questions about his private life.
“That was my way of saying I don’t want to talk about it,” he said.
He explained that discussing relationships publicly could backfire when there is no certainty a couple will stay together.
“You keep saying ‘you are dating so-and-so’, but you never know if that person is actually the one you are going to end up with. Then that person might go ahead and marry someone else.”
Salman said his reluctance to discuss his personal life publicly dated back to his teenage years and was influenced by his father, veteran screenwriter Salim Khan.
“I never wanted to talk about my personal life in public,” he said.
“The bedroom is the bedroom, while the living room is the entire country. What should stay in the bedroom shouldn’t reach the living room.”
Karan, who has two children, Yash and Roohi, also spoke about sometimes feeling lonely without a partner and asked Salman whether he felt the same way.
Salman disagreed with the filmmaker’s assessment, pointing to Karan’s family.
“But you have children, and you have your mother. You are fortunate,” he said. “You become lonely only when nobody wants to be with you. I don’t think that’s the case.”
Salman said he had been happy when Karan became a father and described children as a source of companionship and fulfilment.
“So, you can never say you are lonely; you have two beautiful children,” he said.