Mumbai, May 18

Sumit Dutt, who directed Salman Khan in the songs "Character dheela" and "Dhinka chika" for "Ready", was surprised by the 45-year-old star's energy levels and said that he has become more energetic than he was when he worked with him in 2008."This is my second experience with Salman. The first song I did was for 'Hello'. I directed him in 'Phone ki ghanti bajti hai'. Salman is in reverse mode. His energy level is increasing," Dutt told IANS.

"He is so charged up and really out to deliver now. Today, he is a style icon, so whatever he does, people love it, whether its pulling his collar or his shirt. Also, I have noticed that now he puts much more into what he is doing," he added.

Dutt, who has produced and directed a number of television commercials for Indian and international clients like Tata, McDonalds, Godrej and Nokia, is also a name to reckon with in the music video industry.

He has directed videos featuring artistes like Asha Bhosle, Hard Kaur, Daler Mehndi, Gurdas Maan and Bally Sagoo, among others.

Both "Character dheela" and "Dhinka chika" are currently reigning over the popularity charts.

Was he under pressure while directing the songs?

"It was smooth sailing, but definitely there was huge pressure on me because when you have a superstar and some great tracks, you have to deliver better than the best. So I'm happy that I could deliver upto everyone's expectations. It's a good feeling," said the director.

Any inputs from Salman?

"Salman is one person, if you win over his confidence, he will never even ask you a second question. But for winning his confidence, you need to put your heart and soul into it. Luckily, I had managed to do that, so now he is very comfortable working with me," said Dutt.

"He never interferes once he has confidence in you. He takes his work very seriously and lets you do yours. He surprised me so much with his professionalism," he added.

Directed by Anees Bazmee, "Ready", a remake of the 2008 Telugu film of the same name, also stars Asin Thottumkal, Paresh Rawal, Arya Babbar and Mahesh Manjrekar. The film will hit the screens June 3.