Salman Khan has revealed that he was initially unsure about taking on the hosting duties for Dus Ka Dum because negative publicity surrounding his personal life had overshadowed his professional career at the time.
The actor made the revelation during Saturday’s Weekend Ka Vaar episode of Bigg Boss 20, while addressing contestants whom he felt were holding back from showing their real personalities inside the house.
Salman used his own experience to explain why fear of public perception should not prevent the contestants from taking risks or expressing themselves.
Salman Khan Recalls His Dus Ka Dum Hesitation
While discussing the contestants’ cautious behaviour, Salman recalled the period before he agreed to host the first season of Dus Ka Dum in 2008.
According to the actor, he was hesitant to take on the television project because the negative coverage surrounding his personal life had become so dominant that it appeared to overshadow his work as an actor.
He said the publicity had affected how people viewed him and made him question whether taking on a television hosting role was the right decision.
It was his father, veteran screenwriter Salim Khan, who encouraged him to go ahead.
Salman recalled his father’s advice:
“Bharosa rakho, upbringing dikhao.”
The advice encouraged Salman to trust himself and allow audiences to see the person behind the headlines.
Dus Ka Dum Changed Salman’s Public Image
Taking up Dus Ka Dum ultimately became an important turning point in Salman’s television career.
The show gave viewers an opportunity to see a different side of the actor outside his film roles. His informal interactions, humour and personality became a major part of the show’s appeal.
According to Salman’s recollection, the experience helped alter the public narrative around him and gave him a new identity as a television host.
The success of Dus Ka Dum also opened the door to further television opportunities, most notably his long-running association with Bigg Boss.
Why Salman Brought Up His Own Experience
Salman’s story came while he was criticising the Bigg Boss 20 contestants for being overly cautious.
He felt some housemates were avoiding confrontations and suppressing their personalities because they were worried about how he might react during Weekend Ka Vaar.
The actor pointed to what he considered a lack of meaningful content in the previous week and encouraged the contestants to stop playing solely with his reactions in mind.
His message was essentially that contestants should allow their personalities to emerge rather than constantly calculating how their behaviour might be perceived.
By recalling his own hesitation before Dus Ka Dum, Salman connected the contestants’ fear of judgment with a period in his own career when he had also worried about public perception.
What Was Dus Ka Dum?
Dus Ka Dum premiered on Sony Entertainment Television in 2008.
The Indian reality game show was based on the American format Power of 10. Contestants competed by predicting how the general public would respond to different questions, with accurate predictions determining their progress and potential winnings.
Salman’s personality became an important component of the show’s identity, helping establish him as a prominent television host.
The experience later became relevant to his association with Bigg Boss, where his hosting style became closely identified with the franchise.
Salman Khan Addresses Qazi Tauqueer and Kanika Mann
The Weekend Ka Vaar episode also featured Salman addressing the ongoing controversy involving Qazi Tauqueer and Kanika Mann.
Salman questioned Qazi over his failure to apologise to Kanika following the lollipop-related controversy.
The host’s intervention came amid an ongoing discussion about boundaries and how contestants respond when another housemate says they are uncomfortable.
Love Gill and Aashif Khan Also Face Salman’s Questions
Salman also spoke to Love Gill, questioning her reluctance to have more direct conversations with her friends inside the house.
At the same time, he praised Aashif Khan for attempting to establish an identity of his own within the competition.
The different exchanges reflected the broader theme of the episode: Salman urging contestants to be more open, assertive and authentic rather than allowing fear of criticism to dictate their behaviour.
Salman’s Television Journey Continues With Bigg Boss
From Dus Ka Dum to Bigg Boss, television has become a significant part of Salman’s career beyond cinema.
His recollection of his early hesitation also offered context for the advice he gave the Bigg Boss 20 contestants. Having once worried about how audiences would respond to him outside his established film career, Salman suggested that stepping beyond those fears can sometimes reshape public perception.
For the current housemates, his message was straightforward: hiding behind a carefully controlled image may protect them from immediate criticism, but it can also prevent viewers from seeing what makes them distinctive contestants.
Where to Watch Bigg Boss 20
Bigg Boss 20 airs daily on Colors TV at 10:30pm and streams on JioHotstar at 9pm.
