To beat the heat in Goa, Salman Khan swapped his shirt for a white vest. That is not to imply that the superstar compromised on his style at the launch of Bigg Boss 12; what he lacked in the sartorial department, he made up for by his grand entry - Khan arrived at the event in a motor boat amid cheers from his fans.

As he sat down for a chat with mid-day, we addressed the inevitable: Priyanka Chopra's abrupt exit from his period drama, Bharat. "It was sweet of her to tell us five days before the shoot that she couldn't do Bharat," began Khan, indicating that it was not just his muscles on display, but his dry humour too. "I'm glad Katrina is part of the film. She was Atul's [Agnihotri, producer] first choice. But Priyanka called Ali [Abbas Zafar, director] and said she wanted to do Bharat, so we considered her."