Bollywood superstar Salman Khan (R) with his father and veteran screenwriter Salim Khan.
Salman Khan, in a resurfaced 2008 interview, claimed he didn’t shoot the blackbuck, sparking renewed discussions.
In 1998, Salman Khan, along with his Hum Saath-Saath Hain co-stars Saif Ali Khan, Tabu and Sonali Bendre, was accused of poaching blackbucks in a village in Rajasthan. The case, which has dragged on for 26 years, saw Salman being arrested, granted bail, acquitted, convicted, and bailed out again. The actor has also been receiving serious death threats from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, who hold blackbucks as sacred animals and demand Salman apologise for the incident.
Amid all this, a 2008 interview of Salman has resurfaced on social media, shared on Reddit, where the actor denies shooting the blackbuck. In the clip, the interviewer calls Salman a “victim of ignorance,” stating that she doesn’t believe he would have shot the animal if he knew it was endangered. To this, Salman responds, “There’s a long story there. And… I wasn’t the one who shot the blackbuck.”
When the journalist points out that he never accused anyone else and took the blame, Salman simply replies, “There’s no point.” His casual demeanour continues when asked about his jail experience, with Salman sarcastically calling it “a lot of fun.”
The resurfaced video has sparked fresh discussions, with netizens speculating on Reddit about the truth of Salman’s involvement in the blackbuck case. Many of his fans have defended the actor, calling him innocent.
Last week, Salman received a threatening message demanding Rs 5 crore to settle the dispute with Lawrence Bishnoi. However, Mumbai police later received a follow-up message from the same sender, claiming the threat was sent by mistake.
On the professional front, Salman is busy hosting Bigg Boss 18 and preparing for his upcoming Eid release Sikandar, co-starring Rashmika Mandanna.
