Although he has been firmly established as Bollywood's bad boy due to a string of off-screen romances with on-screen stars and a knack for landing on the wrong side of the law one time too many, lately Salman Khan has been exhausting himself all in the name of doing good.
When he sat down to talk about the latest initiative from his charitable foundation Being Human after an appearance at Mall of the Emirates in Dubai last week, the film veteran was a little dishevelled and extremely tired.
"The media needs something to talk about," says Khan, laughing. "Where's the fun in a superstar being a goody two-shoes? Everybody falls in love and everybody makes mistakes. That doesn't make one a bad human being. We all try to be good. I try to be good."
It was six years ago when he stopped to take stock of what he had achieved, and how.
"You feel humbled when you realise that your success is the result of so many factors other than just you," he says. "Other people have a part to play. God has a part to play. And when you see that there are others around you who have not been as fortunate as you have, you realise your responsibility to do something to try to make their lives a little better."
With some encouragement from his parents, the idea of a charity that could engage the entire Khan household - and funnel all money raised to the cause - took shape. Today, his parents, sisters Alvira and Arpita, brothers Sohail and Arbaaz and their respective spouses are all involved.
"That's one of the reasons we can give 100 per cent of the proceeds of all our initiatives to charity," says Khan. "At this point, it's the family that is taking care of the foundation so there are no overhead costs. Whatever comes in, after paying taxes, all of it can go straight to the beneficiaries. At some point, we might have to expand and hire staff and then we will have to figure out a different way of doing things. But at this point, our business model is that 100 per cent of our proceeds go to charity."
The causes closest to Khan's heart are education and healthcare, particularly for children. Last year the foundation paid for vital heart surgery for a two-year-old in Mumbai who had been facing growth problems and disfiguration due to an abnormality.
In November 2010, the foundation partnered with a bone marrow registry in India to create awareness and build up a robust supply of donors.
There are other branches, too: Being Human Art, with a debut exhibition of Khan's paintings in Dubai in October 2009, has also tied up with India's biggest jewellery brand Gitanjali to launch co-branded gold coins.
Being Human Fashion has been the most popular vehicle for public awareness and for fund-raising. The fashion line was first announced at India Couture Week in 2009, in a show that made fashion history by featuring the biggest line-up of stars including Aamir Khan, Ajay Devgan, Akshay Kumar, Govinda, Katrina Kaif, Saif Ali Khan and Sanjay Dutt. Salman launched Being Human watches at India Couture Week 2010 in a show featuring Bipasha Basu, Kareena Kapoor, Karisma Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Preity Zinta, Rani Mukherjee and Sushmita Sen.
Khan's made his Dubai stop to launch and promote his tie-up with the high-street retailer Splash and the lifestyle destination Iconic (both Landmark Group brands) for the retail of Being Human merchandise.
Though this is the first time the brand has been officially available in the country, the market has long been flooded with fakes and imitations, which raise no money at all - something that clearly frustrates the star.
Up next are plans to open a Being Human eatery.
"Wherever I will find the right people and the right place is where I will open the first restaurant," he says. "It could be Mumbai, or Dubai, or anywhere else."
* Being Human clothes are available only at Splash and Iconic stores
