The Rise and Rise of The Beloved ‘Bhai’
By Kevin Rego
“Don’t put him on the cover,” said a friend. “He is not worthy despite his new-found fame.” She continued: After a debate that went on for a while and one that highlighted his anti-social behaviour, my friend went away disappointed that I was sticking to the decision taken by the editorial team.
But SALMAN KHAN, the man in question, has always divided opinion with his imprudence and uncharacteristic attitude. However, his Bollywood stock has been on the ascent and shows no sign of waning. He reigns.
If he were a lead singer in a rock band, Salman Khan would have fit in like a glove — with his rebellious nature and scarce regard for authority. But there lies the whole conundrum. Salman Khan is a Bollywood star. Wait, he is a superstar. His movies are watched in cinemas by the young, old, and everybody in between. His fans have no age barrier and span the entire globe. Blind devotion to the stories they see or hear about him.
Need proof of that? Just take a look at his box-office figures in the past 4 years. He has not just shattered records but has perhaps been instrumental in the industry’s revival after it was going through a lean phase. Salman Khan has brought crowds to cinemas like no other actor in recent times. And the hunger to watch him in absolute idiotic roles in different films does not seem to satiate.
What could be the reason for this? It is not that the scripts that he chooses are exceptional. If anything, they are average and have been the same with a twist here or there. Bollywood has overdosed on those stories — if you can call them that. All his films — Wanted, Ready, Dabangg, Bodyguard — are similar. And the overseas factor is also ruled out. Chulbul Pandey, the character he plays in Dabangg, is a crooked cop with some weird antics.
Yet, the movie is such a phenomenal hit that the makers decided to cash in with a sequel which turns out unbearable to watch. It does not stop him from hitting the jackpot at the box office. Such is his Star Status.
When Amitabh ruled in the 80s as the angry young man, he represented the growing anger about various issues like unemployment, corruption, etc., that plagued the masses. His popularity rose with every character he portrayed. But one cannot really put a finger on the hysteria that surrounds Salman’s fans. Maybe it is those faces he makes or those lines he mouths. Or those dance moves that only he justifies. Or the customary shirt-ripping.
Whatever it is, he has succeeded in breaking the urban-rural divide with his sheer rustic yet urban personality in his films.
Salman Khan is cool. No, he really is. There’s an imperceptible aura that surrounds him. No wonder stars like Saif Ali Khan or Imran Khan say they would like to be like him. He speaks slowly, often with an American accent. He does not seek to please anyone around him. He speaks his mind and sometimes anything that comes to it. There are no filters. Diplomacy is not his style.
But Salman Khan can get away with anything.
His unflinching bravado and innumerable controversies are now matched only by his stupendous box office success. Maybe one reason why there are signs of mellowness in the man who next year will complete 25 years in the industry.
Asked recently about that eternal question he answered
“What if I am sentenced by the judge to years in prison? It won’t be fair to the girl I marry.”
His love life may still be unclear. His past relationships are folklore. There are a string of actresses associated with him although he has not acknowledged anybody in particular. The black buck and the footpath killing cases still hang like a sword of Damocles over his head.
Personally, he is battling trigeminal neuralgia, a facial nerve problem, and has had surgeries to rectify it. His charity Being Human is now said to be diversifying into restaurants.
But all this is not stopping the diminutive Khan from changing the rules in Bollywood.
He recently signed a 100-million-dollar deal with Star TV for the exclusive television rights of his movies. For an actor who was virtually written off half a decade ago after a string of flops, it is an astonishing accomplishment and firmly establishes him as the numero uno of Bollywood.
But for the entire bad boy image there is another side to ‘bhai’ as he is called by those close to him. Some swear by his generosity. Still others have tales about his forbearing nature. The Jekyll and Hyde personality has often bemused people from the outside.
Perhaps, we will never know the real Salman.
For now, we will just have to wait for the next chapter in the life and times of Bollywood’s most coveted star.
— Kevin Rego