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| Salman Khan One Day with Naval Air Warriors |
Upon arrival at the Naval Air Station, the 44-year-old Bollywood star donned an overall and cap presented to him by the base.
He started his visit by spending time with Air Traffic Controllers, familiarizing himself with radio telephony (RT) phraseology used by them. He learnt enough to give take off instructions to a MiG-29K.
Salman ended his visit to the ATC by participating in a mock aircraft crash drill during which he rode a crash tender to a Kiran Mk II aircraft simulating distress.
He then met pilots on the base. A fighter pilot explained to Salman what an anti-g suite is and how it works. The pilot then helped Salman put one on.
Salman watched flying demonstrations by every aircraft type on the base - Sea Harrier fighter, Kamov Ka-31 helicopter, IL-38 antisubmarine aircraft, Kiran Mk-2 trainer and MiG-29K fighter - while a type pilot briefed him on each aircraft type.
A photography session followed during which Salman posed with the pilots, individually and in a group; and signed photographs.
Next, he visited the Sea Harrier simulator on the base and flew a sortie that simulated a landing on the deck of an aircraft carrier.
Having interacted with the officers, Salman next met with sailors on the base.
A tug-of-war is a tradition on board a ship. Salman was invited to participate in one. He first got to pick his team of eleven sailors, to take on the INAS Hansa team.
Salman's team bested the base team in the three round contest that followed.
Next on Salman's itinerary was lunch at the sailors' mess.
During lunch, he talked and joked with the sailors. One sailor asked him if during film shoots he ordered food from a hotel, or preferred home cooked food.
"Home cooked food," said Salman.
He added that the kitchen at his home catered to between 100 to 150 people during meal time, much like their mess.
Salman also said the sailors' mess reminded him of his years in Scindia boarding school in Gawalior where he studied for three years.
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| Salman Khan One Day with Naval Air Warriors |
He was curious to know what motivated the sailors to enroll in the Navy.
One sailor asked him when he planned to get married.
"There is still time to go," Salman replied.
Salman was next whisked to a jetty where he watched a search and rescue helicopter winch a sailor up from the sea in a simulated rescue.
Salman's day at IANS Hansa ended with a variety entertainment organized for all officers and sailors of the base.
Salman took the stage setup in an aircraft hangar, with a MiG-29K fighter, Ka-31 helicopter and a Sea Harrier fighter serving as the backdrop.
A retrospective collage of scenes from Salman films was screened.
Salman then shared some of his experiences with the sailors. Stunts were a lot more challenging to perform when he entered films than they are now, he told the sailors.
Talented sailors then came on the stage to present a variety entertainment program that included mimicking Bollywood actors, reciting poetry, singing songs from Salman's films.
A question and answer session followed.
NDTV teams visited homes of sailors in Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa to record messages from members of their family. The sailors were called on stage one by one and made to sit with Salman as the video messages from their families were played.
The evening ended with a Bhangra dance in which Salman participated with a lot of zest.
