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Salman the Sultan turns 42

For close to two decades in the industry, Salman Khan has been an enigmatic personality for Bollywood and its millions of followers. Ever since his dream debut, he has broken the law more than once, allegedly roughed up his girlfriends, fought with his seniors, co-stars and juniors and has practically done everything else to wreck his career and invite the contempt of the industry and the public’s wrath.

By Pratik Dogra
For close to two decades in the industry, Salman Khan has been an enigmatic personality for Bollywood and its millions of followers. Ever since his dream debut, he has broken the law more than once, allegedly roughed up his girlfriends, fought with his seniors, co-stars and juniors and has practically done everything else to wreck his career and invite the contempt of the industry and the public’s wrath. But far from it, as the ‘Superstar’ turns 42, he remains one of the most loved personalities and one of the biggest draws in the industry. Salman Khan was first seen as a part of the supporting cast with the film "Biwi Ho To Aisi" in 1988, but it was with the spectacular commercial success of his first solo lead “Maine Pyar Kiya” in 1989, that capitulated him into the big league and paved his way to stardom. The successes of ‘Sajaan” and “Karan Arjun” reconfirmed his status as the industry’s next big thing. After a couple of years of moderate success, 1994 saw the release of "Hum Aapke Hain Koun", his second venture with director Sooraj Barjatya after “Maine Pyar Kiya”. It turned out to be not only among the biggest hits of that decade, but also the first Bollywood movie to do well overseas. The movie got Salman a lot of accolades besides establishing him as one of the industry’s most bankable stars. A part of a famous Khan troika in Bollywood, the others being Shah Rukh and Aamir, he has belted out one big hit after another. Over the years, he has given some memorable performances in “Judwaa”, “Pyar Kiya to Darna kya”, “Biwi No 1”, "Hum Saath-Saath Hain: We Stand United", "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam" , "Mujhse Shaadi Karogi", “Jaan-e-mann”, "No Entry" and “Partner”. He brought back the concept of the comic hero in Bollywood. Besides the commercial successes, he is also credited with critical acclaim for his stellar performances as an obsessive lover in “Tere Naam”, as a psychopath struggling to come to terms with the fact that he accidentally murdered his wife, in “Kyon Ki”, as a HIV positive patient in “Phir Milenge” and as an honest, no non-sense cop in “Garv”. But a Salman Khan story can never be complete without a mention of his real life misadventures. He has had repeated run-ins with the law. In October 1998, he was arrested for allegedly hunting the endangered blackbucks, while in Jodhpur for a film shooting. A session court in Jodhpur sconvicted him and sentenced him to 5 years in jail. He has had 3 brief stints in jail. The actor is currently out on bail. In September 2002, Salman Khan found himself embroiled in a hit and run case. He was accused of driving under the influence of alcohol and running over pavement dwellers, killing of two of them. He had to spend a week in custody, before getting a bail. He is rumoured to have courted several leading ladies in the industry namely Sangeeta Bijlani, Somy Ali and former Miss World Aishwariya Rai. His relationship with Aishwariya Rai was believed to be tumultuous, to say the least, for both the parties concerned. A bitter break up followed, with Aishwariya issuing a statement to the media, vowing never to work with Salman again. She also accused him of a behaving violently and blamed it on his excessive drinking ways. But the worst was yet to come. Aishwariya Rai’s then boyfriend Viveik Oberoi called up a press conference and accused Salman Khan of threatening him. Unfortunately for Salman, this low phase in his personal life coincided with a slump in his career. His hits were beginning to dry up. All along Salman Khan maintained a dignified silence, choosing to let the storm pass over rather than indulging in washing dirty linen in public. Salman Khan, who had been written off by film pundits as someone past his best, marked his second coming into Bollywood with “Tere Naam”. He played the character of a crude young man with a heart of gold, who feels an obsessive infatuation for a simple village girl. This tragic love story was viewed by the audience as an extension of his real life story. The movie did extremely well and Salman Khan regained his place among the industry’s top stars, and more importantly in the hearts of the audience. In 2005, just prior to the release of his comic caper “Miane Pyaar Kyun Kiya”, news outlets released an illicit copy of a mobile phone call made by the star to his then girlfriend, Aishwarya Rai. allegedly recorded in 2001 by the Mumbai police. He appeared to be threatening his Aishwariya in an effort to force her to appear at social events held by Mumbai crime figures. The call featured boasts of connections to organized crime and derogatory comments about other actors. Many political activists took to streets demanding Salman’s arrest and threatening to sabotage the film’s shows. A fair idea of Salman Khan’s immense fan following can be gauged by the fact that despite the threats, his fans turned up in huge numbers and the movie ended among the year’s highest grossers. Later, the alleged tapes were tested in the government`s Forensic lab in Chandigarh, which concluded that they were fake. Salman is the eldest son of the famous screenwriter Salim Khan and his wife Salma Khan. He has two brothers, actor Arbaaz Khan and actor/director/producer Sohail Khan and two sisters, Alvira and Arpita. The actor is currently rumored to be dating actress Katrina Kaif. Born on 27 Dec 1965 in Indore, the actor grew up in the family’s posh Bandra flat in Mumbai, where he still lives with his parents and brothers. A Mumbaikar by heart, he recently said that would be content if he could die in Bandra. Despite his over publicized bad side, interestingly Sallu as he is fondly known has achieved most of his successes in romantic or comic roles. He even refused to play a negative role in Baazigar, as he felt that the film might have an adverse effect on his young fans. That the movie later turned out to be Shah Rukh’s big ticket to Bollywood is a different story. For all the controversies, the star has faced, there are many who swear by his genorosity. He has always backed his friends till the end, even if it meant being a part of a mediocore film. Himesh Reshamiya, Kamaal Khan, Govinda Sanjay Leela Bhansali are some the people who received Salman’s backing at some critical stages of their careers before making it big. Spontaneous by nature, his statements reflect honesty, a rare trait in the industry. In a recent interview, he admitted that he got his judgement wrong when he refused Chak De, initially offered to him. Shah Rukh was again the beneficiary of his slip up, as the movie went on to do a roaring business. Not the one to mince words, his ‘devil may care’ attitude further endears him to his fans, who just can’t get enough of him. His antics during the special ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ and the camarardie he shared with the host Shah Rukh Khan, plummenated that episode to season’s highest ratings. Voted as the world’s 7th best looking male, Salman is a dedicated body builder and is single handedly responsible for mushrooming up of gymnamisums in the country, which are frequented by his fans.. As one more year year is added to his eventful life, the unassuming Khan has a lot to look forward to next year. With a slew of big projects awaiting release and the ever impending question of his marrige looming, the industry’s most eligible bachelor is set to enthral his fans for years to come.