Salman Khan on his B'day

[soniya]

PYAAR KIYA TO DARNA KYA

PYAAR KIYA TO DARNA KYA:
How can one ever forget this movie when talking about Salman? This was the first time Salman explored his *** appeal by going shirtless for a particular song. It kind of became a trademark for him. And since then we connect Salman's attributes with his shitless appearance.

[soniya]

HUM DIL DE CHUKE SANAM

HUM DIL DE CHUKE SANAM:
Throughout 90's Salman delighted us with his the very lovable, the very charming character Prem with his histrionics. But this blockbuster introduced Sameer (Hawa Ka Jhoka) to us.

[soniya]

TERE NAAM

TERE NAAM:

This superhit film is mostly known for Salman's strong performance rather than his character. Critics consider it as Salman's best ever performance. Here Salman exhibited the sad, emotional, vulnerable side which was very painful. As if he is speaking his mind.

[soniya]

PARTNER

PARTNER:
This was a kind of comeback of Salman's lost character Prem. But this Prem now turned the LOVEGURU who had all the solutions of love and
relationships issues.

[soniya]

New Delhi, Dec 27: 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 given flops by the dozen, 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 43, he still remains one of the most loved personalities and one of the biggest draws in the industry.

He may be reeling after a slew of flops recently, but as a part of the famous Khan troika - the other two being Shah Rukh and Aamir, Salman enjoys unquestioned acceptance amongst the masses which enables him to ride through such slumps unscathed.

After all, how many actors can deliver 6 consecutive flops and still end up amongst the highest paid in the industry.

This fact was evident by the stupendous success of his TV game show ‘Dus Ka Dum’, where his affable and easy going conduct was said to be an extension of his real-life personality.

Salman was first seen as a part of the supporting cast in the film "Biwi Ho To Aisi" in 1988, but it was 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. Success of ‘Saajan” and “Karan Arjun” reconfirmed his status as the industry’s next big thing. After a couple of years of modest accomplishments, 1994 saw the release of "Hum Aapke Hain Koun", his second venture with director Sooraj Barjatya after “Maine Pyar Kiya” - it ended up not only amongst 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.

Since then, he has belted out one big hit after another. Over the years, he has given some memorable performances in “Judwa”, “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 ****ed his wife in “Kyon Ki”, as a HIV positive patient in “Phir Milenge” and as an honest, no nonsense 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 black bucks, while in Jodhpur for a film’s shooting. A session court in Jodhpur convicted 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, Controversy’s favourite child, found himself embroiled in a hit and run case. He was accused of driving under the influence of alcohol and running over pavement dwellers, ****ing 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 Aishwarya Rai. His relationship with Aishwarya Rai was believed to be tumultuous, to say the least, for both the parties concerned. A bitter break-up followed, with Aishwarya issuing a statement to the media, vowing never to work with Salman again. She also accused him of behaving violently and blamed it on his excessive drinking ways. But the worst was yet to come. Aishwarya 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 maintained a dignified silence, choosing to let the storm pass over rather than indulging in washing dirty linen in public.

After he had been written off by film pundits as someone past his best, he 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 amongst the industry’s top stars, and more importantly in the hearts of the audience.

In 2005, just before the release of his comic caper “Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya”, news outlets released a 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 Aishwarya 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 his immense fan following can be gauged by the fact that despite the threats issued by various self-proclaimed nationalists, his fans turned up in huge numbers and the movie ended among the year’s highest grosser.

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 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 he would be content if he breathes his last at Bandra.

Despite his over publicized bad side, 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 generosity. He has always backed his friends till the end, even if it meant being a part of a mediocre film. Himesh Reshammiya, 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. Not the one to mince words, his ‘devil-may-care’ attitude further endears him to his fans. His outbursts against Shah Rukh after their much publicised spat also drew him flak from his detractors but that didn’t bother him much.

Voted as the world’s 7th best looking male, Salman is a dedicated body builder and is single handedly responsible for mushrooming up of gymnasiums across the country, which are frequented by his fans.

As one more year is added to his eventful life, the unassuming Khan has a lot to look forward to the next year. With a slew of big projects awaiting release and the ever impending question of his marriage looming, the industry’s most eligible bachelor is set to enthrall his fans for years to come.