Did You Think I Was Going in Forever: Salman Breaks Silence on Blackbuck Poaching Case Hearing

Superstar Salman Khan, who is on bail after being convicted in the 1998 blackbuck poaching case, on Tuesday, said that he was "worried" about the Jodhpur court's verdict.

Salman was briefly imprisoned in Jodhpur, following his sentencing to five years of prison by a court there for killing two blackbucks 20 years ago. The Jodhpur court pronounced its verdict in the 1998 blackbuck poaching case last month, in which Salman, Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Tabu and Neelam Kothari were accused. While Saif, Sonali, Tabu and Neelam were acquitted by the court, Salman was convicted Under Section 9/51 of the Wildlife Protection Act. The court delivered a sentence of five years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000 to the actor, who was kept in Jodhpur Central Jail for two days, following his release on bail.

Before his release, there had been several reports doing the rounds that a lot of money was at stake for Salman’s films, especially Race 3. On Tuesday, as the superstar launched the trailer of the action-thriller in Mumbai, he was asked if he felt pressure at the time of the court proceedings, considering a lot of money was riding on his movies.

However, even before the journalist could finish his question, the event's anchor interrupted him saying "no questions on the Jodhpur case and the Karnataka election will be entertained."

Only after the reporter assured that the question was related to Race 3, he was allowed to continue. To which, Salman counter-questioned the journalist, "Did you think I was going to go in forever?"

When the said journalist replied "No", Salman promptly said: "Thank you, because I was worried.

Directed by Remo D'Souza, Race 3 boasts of an elaborate cast headlined by Salman. The actor has replaced Saif Ali Khan in the film who had been the face of the franchise for the last two parts. The film also stars Jacqueline Fernandez, Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol, Saqib Saleem and Daisy Shah.

The action-packed thriller has been produced jointly by Ramesh S Taurani and Salman and like most of the actor's blockbusters, Race 3 is scheduled to release on June 15 coinciding with the Eid festival.