Fame counted against me says Khan

Dubai: Bollywood star Salman Khan says his celebrity status worked against him.

Salman was the star attraction at a dinner night at the Emirates Palace Hotel as the lead up to the cricket series.

Speaking to Gulf News from Abu Dhabi, Salman said he has put his nightmare behind and has come to the UAE to keep his date with his fans.

This is the first time the Indian actor has spoken to the media about the sentence he faces on poaching charges, after being released on bail.

Salman, 40, was sentenced to five years rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs25,000 (about Dh2,068) by a court in Jodhpur, in the western Indian state of Rajasthan on April 10 for poaching an endangered Chinkara, an Indian gazelle, in 1998.

Khan, who had to spend three days in the Jodhpur Central Jail was granted bail on April 13. He was permitted to travel abroad between April 17 and June 14.

"I was treated like a common jail inmate and there was no special treatment meted out to me," he said. "I have no complaints, on the contrary, I am glad about what happened. It has made the public aware of what to expect. The case has dragged for eight long years," he added.

Salman said while in jail the one thing that kept him worried was his mother?s health, which took a turn for the worse after he was sentenced. His mother Salma lost consciousness when told of the court verdict and was admitted to the Lilavati Hosital in the western city of Mumbai.

"The media also wrote a lot of incorrect facts about me. This did not help me either. The media kept hammering me, but I maintained my silence," said Salman.

"The media wanted me to talk about my close friends and family. Why should I? I am in no position to talk about my family life which I intend to keep private. Even my friends would not appreciate being spoken about in the media by me," said Salman.