Salman Khan changes Priyanka's role in Zanjeer

Salman is no longer just the spin-doctor on his own projects. Known to be a very active and dominant force behind his own projects Salman has now taken charge of Ramcharan Teja’s Bollywood debut. Recently, Salman had a meeting at his residence with Ramcharan Teja and the Zanjeer director Apoorva Lakhia where he suggested some radical changes in the Zanjeer remake, including the way Priyanka Chopra’s character was to be packaged and portrayed. That Salman has taken Ramcharan Teja under his wings is no longer a secret. But here’s something that would serve as an eye-opener as to how much Salman is investing into his new protégé from Hyderabad. Last week he invited Ramcharan and Zanjeer director Apoorva Lakhia to a very private dinner at his residence in Bandra to discuss ways to re-invent and contemporize Zanjeer. Salman, whose father Salim Khan co-wrote the original Zanjeer, gave Ramcharan and Lakhia tips that are now being incorporated into the film. Says a source close to the project, “Salman called Ramcharan and Apu home to discuss Zanjeer. He then began to astutely compare the new and old Zanjeer. The first suggestion that he made was to incorporate songs for Ramcharan’s character. In the original, Inspector Vijay Khanna as played by Amitabh Bachchan was too serious a man to sing and dance. Salman wants that to change. He said to Ramcharan, ‘You’re one of the best dancers in Indian cinema. It would be silly to not have you sing and dance.” More importantly Salman made many important suggestions about Priyanka Chopra’s character including how to bring in a much larger glamour quotient to it. Says a source, “Salman feels Priyanka’s character can be a lot more attractive. He has suggested changes in her clothes, styling, songs and choreography. Since Priyanka doesn’t start shooting for Zanjeer until October her character is being revamped as per Salman’s suggestions.” Clearly then, Salman has never taken such a keen interest in any young actor’s debut. Is it because Zanjeer was co-written by his father? “Partly that. But it’s more because of how protective he feels towards Ramcharan Teja. The young Telugu superstar and his father, the iconic Chiranjeevi are very dear to Salman. Salman feels Ramcharan’s future in Bollywood is a personal responsibility,” says a source very close to the neo-Zanjeer.