Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif starrer Bharat is all set to enthral the audience this Eid and the wait seems even longer now. The film, which is being directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, has been in the news ever since its inception and seems like the buzz is only growing stronger by the second, especially after the kickass trailer. The ambitious film will be set across several decades and will show Salman Khan s character in various avatars and needless to say, we can't wait to see Salman ace the greys. That and his crackling chemistry with Katrina Kaif.

Which director feels the superstar has done and with spontaneity. In fact, in a recent interview with Mumbai Mirror, Ali Abbas Zafar has spoken candidly about his equation with his actor, from whom he has learnt a great deal over the course of three films that they have done. "This is my third film with Salman (Khan) and much of the maturity in my work comes from his experience. SK is a deep, mature and beautiful actor/human being, and when he identifies with an emotion, it just flows. He s so spontaneous when he s in character. A star needs to be an actor, or he ll fizzle out soon. Salman has been around for 30 years and his stardom has only grown," he said.

Not just that, Ali also opened up about why he chose to adapt the Korean film, Ode To My Father, to tell the story of Bharat. And while doing so, the filmmaker also revealed why only Salman Khan could have played the character. He said, "While many Hindi films revolve around the mother and son, the father has often been portrayed as a hard disciplinarian. My relationship with my dad and Salman s with his (Salim Khan) is different and at the core of the film. That s why only Salman could play Bharat."

When asked how the title Bharat came about, the Sultan director added, "Since the film isn t only about a father and son, I didn t want to translate Ode To My Father. I was tossing in bed at 5 am when the title came to me. Hours later, when I met SK and Atul I told them I had a title, Bharat. They froze for two seconds, then Salman said 'yes'. Since this man symbolises the nation what better than Bharat."

Speaking about the tricks that convince his audiences that the hero will win, he added, "If a superhero is selfless, and you have a star like Salman Khan, whom the audience loves, playing him, half the battle is won." When quizzed about what makes Salman Khan the superhero, he stated, "His honesty and earnestness. His communication with his audience is very direct. And even when he lives a character, Salman Khan doesn t disappear 100 per cent. Whether its Tiger, Sultan or Bharat, his magical presence in there in the characters." Now, how true is that!

Apart from that, he also expressed how there is no bad blood between him and Priyanka Chopra who earlier roped opposite Salman Khan and he is grateful for Katrina who came onboard after PC's exit. He said, "Priyanka was doing the film but things happened. As a friend, she shared it with me and I told that her life is most important. She s still a close friend. We laugh and talk twice a month. I m very happy for her. And I m grateful to Katrina for stepping in. I was honest with her and told her I was sending her a script. If she liked it, we d discuss it further."

So, that's that. But the director didn't part before applauding her for her performance in the film and how Salman would joke that he is intimidated by her. "She s done a phenomenal job. She s grown as an actor, has a better command over the language now. She s in top form and the maturity she has brought to Madam Sir s character is commendable. There were times when on the sets, Salman would take me to a corner and say, "Sir, yeh scene to Katrina le gayi, ab mujhe kuch karna padega." (Laughs) We are both very fond of her and together in a happy space, so he can crack such jokes," he concluded.

Jointly produced by Salman Khan, Atul Agnihotri and Bhushan Kumar, Bharat releases on June 5.