*Given that these phone-tap records are five years old, this prosecution of Bollywood bad boy Salman Khan sure seems lackadaisical.

*A couple of weeks back, the contents of his phone calls were leaked to the press. Check out the extensive unsavoriness of this ungentlemanly harangue. Somebody in the Indian underworld and/or the Indian secret service has had enough lip out of Salman. http://www.salmanonline.net/ A worship-site for the lad in question Salman in all his moon-eyed pop-star glory:

What it sounds like when you wiretap tough-guy Bollywood heart-throbs talking to their estranged movie-star girlfriends:

The Salman Tapes

HT Mumbai Special Mumbai, July 14, 2005

These telephone conversations between Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai were recorded between August 28-30, 2001. Ash was supposed to leave for a long tour of the US. Salman starts calling her on the eve of her departure.

The conversations start friendly enough, but rapidly degenerate into threats, boasts and abuse. Following are excerpts from the Salman Tapes:

Aishwarya Rai: Hello.

Salman Khan: I want you to do the Abu Salem show. Hello? SK: When I told you to do the Salem show you put the phone down. F**k you. You are doing the Salem show because of me. I asked you to the Salem show. You are not talking to me.

Ash: F**k you. SK: You f***ing bitch. Are you doing the Salem show or not? I want to know whether you are doing the Salem show or not? Ash: Oh really, you got drunk.

SK: Are you doing the Salem show or not? Abu Salem show or not? Abu Salem show or not? Ash: Your phone is tapped.

SK: You know my phone is tapped. I want to save my own ass, you f***ing b***h. I would like to know whether you are doing the show or not. Ash: Salman. SK: No, tell me, you f***ing b***h whether you are doing the Salem show or not. Ash: You're too late.

SK: You know Chori Chori Chupke Chupke? I was the only one who knew it was a Chhota Shakeel film. Ash: Listen, listen. Now stop it, Salman. SK: I will call up Salem and compromise. You don't know anything that is happening. It is a big bad world. You don't know the connectivity (sic) of the underworld.

No listen to me. Chori Chori Chupke Chupke was a Chhota Shakeel film. I was the only one who knew. Not even Nadeem Rizvi or Bharat Shah. I did this role because I was scared of Chhota Shakeel... (Shakeel said) Yeh Mussalman aadmi hamara Hindustan ko agey lekar jayega. So I did Chhota Shakeel's film and that is what I had to do.

Ab mujhe Salem Saheb ke phone aa rahe hain. Ab aap ke mere relationship hain. Jaise Dawood Bhai mere bade bhai ke relationship hain. Chhota Shakeel ka mere relationship hain. To aap ka hoga. We are hand in glove.

Ash: Hello? SK: Abi aap ne disconnect nahin kiya. Itna information ley liya phone pe. Ash: Hello?

Kyonke main underworld se taluk rakta hoon... mujhse contact nahin rakna? (They get disconnected)

SK: Phone nahin rakha. Mere liye point prove karne ke liye. Ha. Tum ne kabhi Salem se baat nahin kiya? Ash. RAW hain jo mere conversation sun reha hain. Dawood Ibrahim kuch nahin hai. Salem kuch nahin hain. Chhota Shakeel kuch nahin. Jo bhi hain woh main hoon.

Yeh muje malum hain ki Ash ka phone tapped hain. Is liye disconnect ho gaya. Muje malum hain mera phone tapped hain. Ash law abiding citizen hain. Unhone London airport mein phone guma diya. Kyonke main underworld se taluk rakta hoon. To mujse contact nahin rakna? Ash: Ho Ho.

SK: You are trying to pretend you don't have to do anything with me. Suno mere bhai suno. Salman Khan, don't you dare... Ash: Yeah? SK: You had a problem. You call me up.

Ash: I called you up because I had a problem.

SK: You never call me up otherwise. Anyway Ashji. You are going to be there for 47 days. Ok, 47 days my guys are there. They will watch what you do there like the last trip. Ash: Salman Khan, don't you dare. SK: Don't you dare f**k with me, Ash. I know Abu Salem, Chhota Shakeel, Dawood Ibrahim, Guru Satam...

SK: Underworld people call me up here. I am their main man in Bombay. I do all that s**t. Ash: Stop it. Don't talk nonsense. You can get into trouble. Ash: Ok, Christ. SK: F**k you. F**k you. Don't use that language towards me.

Ash: Stop it. SK: You use abusive language against me. I know Abu Salem, Chhota Shakeel and I know Dawood Ibrahim and Chhota Rajan. I know Guru Satam and all these underworld people. If I say ,"Aisi r***i ne mujhse aise baat ki", they will shoot you. Pehle baap ko maro m*******d, phir bhai ko maro, phir isko maro. Pehle pao pe maro, phir thigh pe maro, phir haat pe maro.

I have the power to do that. You know I can do that. It is a fact, it is a fact.