The Best Article I Have Ever Read About Salman Khan :
It’s over 20 years since Bollywood is being ruled by the Khan triumvirate. The stage was set for them as Bollywood was looking for a successor for Amithab Bachan post his temporary retirement. It was at this point of time three young guys made their presence felt and rest is History of the Khandaan. Was it just coincidence that history continued its cycle with another triumvirate post the Raj Kapoor,Dev Anand and Dilip Kumar era back in the 50’s???Will the cycle continues to witness a one man dominance again after the current triumvirate ??? Well let’s focus our attention to the most flamboyant Khan who has just completed 25 years in this industry whose life and career is more filmy than a Bollywood flick.
Abdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan
The Khan with the X-factor.He is an enigma for many because not many can digest the unparallel craze and euphoria created by this man.The most inconsistent of the three in terms of Box Office performance. The most ripped off Khan by critics .Arguably the most controversial in the industry and infact controversy was his second name. The most criticized Khan for his film selection and role selection.. A desi incarnation of the legendary Phoenix who continues to rise from the ashes every time his detractors predicted his doom. As legend says destiny favours the brave.
He started his career as supporting actor in Biwi Ho To Aisi. His debut as a main lead in Rajshri’s romantic film Maine Pyaar Kiya (1989)made him an overnight sensation.This film was also a blockbuster when action masala ruled the roost.The film was not only the biggest grosser of that year it was the biggest grosser of that decade(80’s).He continued his winning streak with films like Baaghi,Saajan,Sanam Bewafa and was one of the top contender for the top spot.Then came a series of eight continuous flops from 1992 to the first half of 1994 .The emergence of Govinda,Ajay Devgan and Shah Rukh Khan coupled with the winning streak of Sanjay Dutt and Sunny Deol made it near impossible for Salman to bounce back so much so that he was written off .But Salman bounced back with a bang with Hum Aapke Hain Kaun(1994) a film which revolutionized Indian cinema so much so that Bollywood modern era is termed as before Hum Aapke Hain Kaun and after Hum Aapke Hain Kaun. The film broke Sholays 29 year old record and became an All Time Blockbuster.The film netted 69 crs when Bollywood has not witnessed anything above 15 cr before.Hum Aapke Hain Kaun collected 69 crs while the other top 9 films of that year netted a cumulative 56 crs. Such was the transformation made by Hum Aapke Hain Kaun that cinema halls were renovated on demand of Rajshri productions so that family audience returned to theaters.His next release Andaaz Apna Apna though an average grosser went on to become a cult classic during television re runs .Huge blockbuster Karan Arjun followed in 1995.That year saw the release of Veergati where he played second fiddle to his brother in law Atul Agnihotri.Though the film was a flop this film can be rated as one of his best performance ever .Hits like Jeet,Judwaa,Pyaar Kiya to Darna Kya and critically acclaimed film like Khamoshi happened in the period between 1996 to 1998.1999 was one of the best year for Salman where he had the top three grossers of that year Hum Saath Saath Hain ,Biwi No.1 and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam.That is a record which is nearly impossible to be broken in the modern era. By this time Salman had two unique records–1)Two All Time Blockbusters in two decades.2)The Biggest Grossers of Two Decades .He had three highest grossers of a year in 90’s which was the highest by any actor of that decade
The dawn of the new Millenium witnessed most difficult phase in his personal and professional front.He was in the news for all the wrong reasons.Hit and run case ,troubled relation which ended with harsh public remarks by Aishwarya Rai,fall out with SRK over Aishwarya Rai,Black buck poaching case .What made matters even worse was his animosity and inaccessibile attitude to film medias in particular.Their favourite whipping boy were giving them reasons to rejoice and make merry at his expense. Any mortal man other than Salman would have been down and out both personally and professionally.Salman tided over this phase too and the fighter in him surprised many.Though known for his chiseled body which he shows off at the drop of a hat he was always the naughty lover boy.The Macho lover of Tere Naam (2003) was a new lease of life for Salman’s professional career.Tere Naam which was the remake of Tamil film Sethu was indeed a litmus test for his career.Though only a semi hit this film’s record breaking opening cemented that Salman’s fan base was still intact.It has to be remembered that in those time sans social networking sites hardcore fans thronged the theaters declaring their solidarity.Doing justice to a role immortalized by Southern Star Vikram was indeed an achievement for Salman who seldom got any praises for his acting capabilities.A series of successful films followed till 2005 with just one flop .He got critical acclaim for his cameo in Phir Milenge which was rejected by other top stars as the role demanded them to be a Aids patient.In 2005 he had the biggest grosser of the year No Entry ,a feat he had not achieved after 1999.
2006 was a remarkable year for Bollywood.This year marked the return of Hrithik Roshan and Aamir Khan with highly successful films .Shah Ruk Khan was consistent as always .Akshay Kumar’s career bloomed and has been termed a Mini Industry due to the total number of films doing well.The volume of business in Bollywood saw a steep rise .In this critical juncture of Bollywood Salman Khan hit a rough patch of his professional career with five of his films flopping. A huge blockbuster in Partner( 2007 )showed again that Salman doing a right movie meant business and a huge opening .But Salman again messed up his professional career by going on with long delayed projects like Yuvraj(2008),God Tussi Great Ho (2008)which naturally ended up as Boxoffice duds. To make things even worse he did cameos and supporting roles for friends and relatives projects which resulted in disasters like Saawan,Heroes,Hello where the film promotions centered around him. The much publicized enemity between Salman and Shah Rukh Khan also happened in this year.The only silver lining at this point of time was the huge success of his TV show Dus Ka Dum. Dus Ka Dum showcased the real Salman.The impulsive,quick witted,fun loving ,undiplomatic guy connected with the audience.This show was instrumental in removing the negative image imposed on him by the media to a big extent.But barring Dus Ka Dum he didn’t had anything worth to showcase .For the first time since the introduction of Filmfare Power List by ORG-Sanmar the reputed market research company, Salman lost his place in top 10 powerful person of the industry.Unlike other boxoffice sites which had the point systems to gauge the power ,Filmfare’s Power List was keenly anticipated as it was done by the most admired market research company and it was indeed more or less unanimously appreciated barring the exclusion of Aamir Khan’s name at times(he had asked them not to mention him which ended up in Filmfare gossip columns making remarks like “Hero Of Lagaan”) and also Filmfare’s affinity for Bachan family.So it was very evident that the industry predicted the end of Salman or may have removed him from the top league comprising of Aamir(yeah we are at 2009 power list now),SRK,Akshay and Hrithik.But Salman being Salman had surprises in store for one and all (including his fans).
In 2009 Salman Khan ended his dry spell with the Super hit Wanted .The film which was a remake of Telugu and Tamil Blockbuster Pokkiri yet again proved that Salman’s mass appeal was still intact. Though the film was not a rage in Multiplexes which was crucial for a film’s fate since 2006 this film more than made up with the tremendous collections in single screens. In another way trade pundits started re looking at the impact of single screens again.More over this film paved the path for the return of the old Bollywood action masala genre which was thought to be extinct in the multiplex era. Salman too sensed his chance and went for an image change. The industry saw a media friendly and accessible Salman.He started relishing his opportunity to take a dig at his professional and media foes at their expense.He even apologized to his loyal fans for his earlier films and promised them that he will not disappoint them anymore.He took a keen interest in his career and played a major role in reviving the delayed project London Dreams co starring Ajay Devgan .But contrary to his expectation Londom Dreams flopped.But his fans got to see the actor in Salman ‘s flamboyant wayward character who stole the show from Ajay Devgan’s intense role.The lack of hit music was a major reason for the dismal boxoffice performance of this musical.But fans could sense that Salman has regained his dedication to the profession .Thus Salman ended that decade with a strong statement that he is still a major draw. But it has to be noted that it was only from 2006 to 2008 where Salman lost his winning ways .In 2006 he had been sentenced to 5 years imprisonment and was jailed for 4 days and later granted bail. This was also the same period his competitors set new benchmarks.But the success of Wanted kept him in the race.The second half of this decade also was the best phase of Aamir Khan .Back to back two All Time Blockbusters along with a hit and two super hits in a span of four years clearly gave him a definite edge .Aamir started the 100 cr club and then went on to start the 200 cr club in the same decade when others languished in the 70 cr region.SRK was as consistent as always but paled in comparison to the huge numbers put up by Aamirs ATBB inspite of his overseas advantage.So Salman who had more hits in 90s clearly took a back seat compared to the other Khans in the 2000 decade.He started facing health issues during the shooting of Partner.Later he was diagnosed with Trigeminal Neuralgia a rare neurological disease which is also called the suicide disease as many patients succumb to suicide due to the unbearable pain associated . But having gone through hell in his personal life and health front it take a real hero to fight back and continue and Salman has done that.
The success created by Wanted still had its ripples and the new improved Salman played his cards well in the beginning of the current decade.His first release of the decade Veer where he had written the script as well couldn’t live up to the expectation.Then came the film which catapulted his career to his best phase.Chulbul Pandey of Dabangg (2010)was Salman’s most powerful role where he played a fearless and unpredictable cop stormed the boxoffice and shattered many records.This film was a huge draw in multiplexes and shattered the myth that Action Masala ‘s are not welcomed by the elites.The success of Dabangg saw the trends changing and action masala’s became the new flavor and Bollywood took notice that audience had craved for a Bollywood masala after repeated servings of NRI saga’s.Dabangg went on to become a ATBB and Salman was the second one to touch 100 cr mark after Aamir Khan.This was followed up by a unique record which was not heard even in the times of Amitabh Bachan —- 5 consecutive Blockbusters (Dabangg,Ready,Bodyguard,ETT andDabangg2).At this point when he has completed 25 years Salman has 3 ATBB in three different decades a unbroken record as of now.He has 8 biggest grosser of an year in his 25 years in the industry(a record which is near impossible for any other Khan to break) .He has another unique record of scoring a hatrick of securing two of the top grossing films of an year .(1999,2011,2012).Salman made good use of his soaring popularity by appearing in highly successful and popular Tv Show Big Boss thus earning him Big Money in the process.His philanthrophic initiative Being Human became a big brand and has started tie ups with corporate hospitals for free treatment to deserving patients.He has reportedly signed a deal with Star network worth 500 cr for the satellite rights of his films for 5 years.Despite huge fame and money he still lives in a one bed room flat for the past two decades and lives in the same building where his parents live.
Salman Khan in a span of 25 years of roller coaster ride has proven himself in all types of roles.He established himself as a lover boy when action masala’s was the trend.His screen presence and drop dead good looks became an instant hit.He was synonymous for his shirtless act and flaunted his well chiseled body with great aplomb so much so that it was mandatory for a Salman film to include a shirtless scene.It was a rage when he crooned and grooved to O O Jaane Jaana flaunting his 6 pack abs .His comic timing was also well appreciated and he has proven his flair for comedy in many successful comedies.Andaaz Apna Apna a slap stick comedy in which he shared screen with Aamir Khan reached cult status in long run. Ironically Salman has not been appreciated for his emotional roles and had to face the brunt of critics for his alleged sleep walk in emotional roles.But it has to be noted that the same Salman had matched up to his peers acting prowess whenever he had shared screen with them.His performance in Karan Arjun,Andaaz Apna Apna and Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam proved beyond doubt that he can match them in acting department.London Dreams was another film where Salman stole the show from the national award winning actor Ajay Devgan .Salman’s flamboyant Mannu was the only saving grace of the film .His performance in otherwise forgettable Veergati is testimony to the untapped potential in him.Doing justice to a role immortalized by Vikram itself speaks a lot about the actor in him.But somehow his off screen persona took over the actor in him .His Greek God looks and body coupled with the bad boy image got more mileage than the actor in him.He was voted the 7th best looking man in the world by the U.S. based People’s magazine in 2004.No wonder the star in him took over and Salman too was more than happy to bask in the limelight of a star.No one else could have escaped unscathed after going through what this man had undergone.Despite all the odds this man fought his way to the top ,he may have fallen at times but he had never given up and he has been rewarded with the best phase in his career and is in a dream run .We couldn’t have hoped for more.
The popularity of Salman which had remained intact for the past 25 years is a mystery for many. But if you ask his fans you will get a simple answer.In this ‘modern practical and diplomatic world’ Salman stood out from the rest as a raw and undiplomatic star.He defied rules and dared to live his life to the fullest.Deep down it was very evident that he was an impulsive guy with a heart of gold who ended up in controversies .This intrinsic goodness had struck a chord with his fans. Despite his enfant terrible image it is very evident that he is a perfect family man.He is still a mamma’s boy.He is a respectful son to his father.He is a caring and protective big brother to his siblings.A real friend who is always there for help.A mentor for many of the stars and technicians today and still continues to be one.(Hrithik Roshan,Arjun Kapoor,Katrina Kaif,Himesh Reshammiya to name a few) His love life never bloomed because he fell for ambitious career women who got mileage from him.He might have reacted violently to his heart breaks ,he might have been an obsessive lover and in an industry synonymous for flings and frivolous relationships he might be the odd one.But his popularity is a living example to the diplomatic world that Human Being does not mean that one has to live a life sans emotions. He would have found his soul mate in Somy Ali but it was him to be blamed for their break up.Hope that he will find a soul mate soon. Congratulations Salman Khan for 25 years of Salmaniaaa which is still spreading…… !!!!
**Conceived & Written By : Vishnu Kayiparambil Rajan ( Thanks a lot Bhaii for this Amazing Write up and Keep Writing )
**Special thanks to Mohammad Noufal and Sachin Das GL your creative inputs,feedbacks and technical expertise #ProudSalmanFans
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Wonderful article !!