SOME LOVE HIM, some love to hate him but everybody agrees it is impossible to ignore Bollywood’s biggest Khan of all in recent times, Salman Khan. Salman may be painted worse than a one-eyed pirate in the media, which goes to town with stories of the bad boy’s bratty behaviour, his temper tantrums, his many girl-friends and his stubborn refusal to forgive or forget a slight, but the man himself is on a roll.
His detractors have had to eat their words these last two years what with Salman now officially the biggest hero in the industry with three back to back hits — Dabangg, Ready and last week’s Bodyguard. The 45-year-old star’s appeal to the masses remains a mystery but who cares when the cash registers raked in a record Rs 200 million on the opening day? The movie is also enjoying a good run in other markets, including Dubai and the UK.
Salman Khan is not for the urban sophisticated movie goer who might find his loud jokes, hip-thrusting moves and ove-the-top action sequences too much to stomach. But ask the folks in India’s smaller towns and villages and Salman Khan wins hands down.
Eid is special for these folks who find their way to possibly the only theatre in town to catch their favourite star doing his bit on screen. And every time an action sequence comes along, or Salman’s shirt comes off, there is loud applause, cat calls and a few impromptu dances. Salman Khan’s appeal also lies, we suspect, in his ability to be human like all of us. He is as loyal a human being as possible when it comes to his friends and he has a hard time forgiving his foes. Don’t we all?
In the meantime, even as we write this, Salman Khan is somewhere in New York, recovering from a surgery to relieve him of severe pain in the jaw, arising from a neurological disorder. Back home in India, Bodyguard’s victorious run at the box office has had a few Bollywood jaws dropping. – Khaleejnews
