Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has said he has no regrets about remaining unmarried but hopes to have children of his own someday, opening up about his personal life during the premiere episode of the ninth and final season of filmmaker Karan Johar's popular celebrity chat show, Koffee With Karan.
The 60-year-old actor, who appeared as the season's first guest, also revisited his much-discussed 2014 declaration that he was a virgin, explaining that the remark was his way of avoiding questions about his relationships.
The final season of Koffee With Karan premiered on Wednesday on the Peacock Hub on JioHotstar, with Salman returning to the show for a candid conversation about marriage, fatherhood, loneliness, friendships and his enduring career in Hindi cinema.
๐ฆ๐ฎ๐น๐บ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐๐ ๐ต๐ถ๐ '๐'๐บ ๐ฎ ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ด๐ถ๐ป' ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ธ
During the conversation, Johar brought up Salman's famous appearance on the show in 2014, when the actor's claim that he was a virgin became one of its most widely discussed moments.
"Are you still a virgin?" Johar asked, referring to the earlier exchange.
Salman laughed before explaining that the statement had been intended to discourage further questions about his romantic life.
"That was a way of saying, 'Karan, I don't want to talk about it.' Because you keep on saying that you're dating so and so... But I never want to talk about it," the actor said.
He explained that he had been cautious about publicly discussing relationships since his teenage years because of the uncertainty surrounding their future.
"You never know that this is the person who is going to be in your life for the rest of your life. And that person goes ahead and marries somebody else. So I always had this in my head since I was 15-16," he added.
๐๐ฎ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ'๐ ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ป ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐น๐ถ๐ณ๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ
Salman also recalled advice from his father, veteran screenwriter Salim Khan, about maintaining a distinction between public and private life.
"My father said, 'Ye personal life bedroom hai aur living room puri country hai. Jo aap living room me bol sakte ho, wo puri country me bolo. Aur bedroom ka hai wo living room tak nahi aana chahiye,'" he said.
The advice, Salman suggested, had influenced his approach to discussing relationships and other personal matters in public.
The actor has frequently faced questions about his marriage plans throughout his career, but he indicated that he remained comfortable with his decision.
At the beginning of the episode, Johar referred to Salman's close friend Aamir Khan marrying for the third time.
"I'm happy for him," Salman responded.
When the filmmaker subsequently asked about his own marriage plans, the actor replied simply, "I'm doing fine."
'๐ข๐ณ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฒ, ๐ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป'
While Salman appeared content with remaining unmarried, he expressed a desire to become a father.
Asked whether he missed having children of his own, the actor said, "Of course, I will have children at some point in time."
He made it clear that the decision not to marry had been his own and that he did not hold anyone else responsible for it.
"Nobody stopped you from that Karan... Nobody stopped me either. It's just that you stopped yourself and I stopped myself," Salman told the filmmaker.
"I can't blame anyone, it's my decision and I'm happy with that decision. But yes, kids will come in," he added.
The remarks offered a glimpse into the actor's views on family life, suggesting that although marriage was not currently part of his plans, fatherhood remained something he hoped to experience.
๐ฆ๐ฎ๐น๐บ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ผ๐ป ๐น๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐
The discussion also turned to loneliness when Johar spoke about not having a romantic partner.
Salman reminded the filmmaker that he had his mother and children for companionship.
"You are lonely when nobody wants to be with you. Karan, I don't think people don't want to be with you," the actor said.
Johar, who is a father to twins Yash and Roohi, described parenthood as the biggest blessing in his life.
Salman said he was happy for him and encouraged the filmmaker to appreciate the family he had built.
"So you can never say that you're lonely, you have two beautiful kids. And they will grow up and they will have girlfriends and boyfriends. Then they will get married and settle down. And they have children. You will be a grandpa Karan," he said.
The exchange brought a more reflective tone to the conversation, with both discussing companionship, family and the choices that shape their personal lives.
๐ช๐ต๐ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐น๐บ๐ฎ๐ป'๐ ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฟ๐๐น๐ฒ
Beyond his personal life, Salman spoke about the continued presence of his generation of leading actors in Hindi cinema.
Referring to contemporaries Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan, he attributed their longevity to their commitment to acting and enthusiasm for filmmaking.
"We are very interested in our work. We want to get out of our houses and get on to the sets, and we want to do good work. Sometimes it turns out right, sometimes it does not," Salman said.
His remarks reflected the shared determination of several established Hindi film stars to remain active in the industry despite changing audience preferences and the emergence of younger actors.
The conversation brought together personal reflections and observations about the film industry, making Salman's return to Koffee With Karan a prominent opening to the show's farewell season.
For an actor who has generally preferred to keep his romantic life away from public scrutiny, the episode offered a rare discussion of his decisions about marriage, his hopes for fatherhood and the importance he attaches to family and privacy.