Bollywood has always been unique for producing iconic figures in each era, who become legends for eternity. For example, from the ’50s to ‘60s, the industry was ruled by Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar and Dev Anand. This trio was so versatile that they appeared in a wide range of films and made history. Later in the ’70s, Rajesh Khanna appeared and emerged as the next superstar. He was mostly known for his charisma and romantic personality. Then in the mid ’70s, Amitabh Bachchan came and introduced us with the ‘angry young man’ personality. His films were mostly family and social dramas, political injustice and corruption oriented. He was that icon who showed us that there is a different life outside a love story as well.
Bachchan remained the superstar till the ’80s and then appeared Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Salman Khan in the ’90s. This trio is continuing to carry the traditional superstar era these days, albeit not in the same intensity as before. These three Khans have started dominating the industry from the very starting. They have consistently delivered the bigger box office numbers in the industry. Their films are mostly evergreen because of the famous ’90s romance. And this helped them still get the hero’s role even after they are reaching their sixties.
Salman Khan has always been the most controversial star in the industry. He is also the first star to introduce us with an attractive body shape with abs and muscles. He has a 35-year rollercoaster of journey in the industry. Marking his debut with ‘Biwi Ho To Aisi’ in 1988, it was the Sooraj Barjatya film ‘Maine Pyaar Kiya’ (1989) that made him a star. His romantic pairing with Bhagyashree became instantly popular and therefore the film was a winner at the box office.
Later Khan cemented his career as a star with films like ‘Baaghi’ (1990), ‘Sanam Bewafa’ (1991), ‘Pathar Ke Phool’ (1991), ‘Kurbaan’ (1991) and ‘Saajan’ (1991). However, he also had some flops during this period, such as ‘Andaz Apna Apna’ (1994), but the latter became a cult classic after its release and helped Salman Khan and Aamir Khan as comedy icons.
The ‘Baaghi’ star’s biggest hits came in between 1998 and 1999. In those two years, he starred in the hit films ‘Pyar Kiya Tho Darna Kiya’ (1998), ‘Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai’ (1998), ‘Bandhan’ (1998), ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ (1998), ‘Biwi No. 1’ (1999), ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’ (1999) and ‘Hum Saath Saath Hain’ (1999).
In the early 2000s, his career went down shockingly with a very few successful films. He made his big return with ‘Dabangg’ (2010) as it was a blockbuster at the box office. Then came big hits like ‘Bodyguard’ (2011), ‘Ek Tha Tiger’ (2012) and ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ (2015) gradually.
But despite his success, Khan has also been involved in several controversies. He has been accused of animal cruelty, drunk driving and assault. However, he has always denied these allegations.
Salman has faced the most challenging period of his career in the early 2000s. With personal life struggles, he barely could manage this career. In ‘Tere Naam’ (2003), directed by Satish Kaushik, the chiselled actor played his most iconic character, Radhey Mohan. This was a departure from his usual roles, as he portrayed a more aggressive character with emotional vulnerability. Although the film has a tragic ending, Salman won millions of hearts which led to his achieving multiple accolades. His hairstyle in the film became a popular trend among his fans and is still iconic these days.
‘Dabangg’ was a major box office success of Salman Khan’s career. His character, Chulbul Pandey, a cop with grey shades, became a cult classic. With films like ‘Kick’ (2014), ‘Prem Ratan Dhan Payo’ (2015), ‘Sultan’ (2016), ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’ (2017) and ‘Bharat’ (2019), the athletic actor cherished the golden period with huge box office collections. ‘Tubelight’ (2017) was a big flop which everyone wants to forget. The highly panned by critics and audiences alike, ‘Race 3’ (2018).
After receiving much love, his stint on TV with ‘Dus Ka Dum’ (2008) and ‘Bigg Boss’ (2010-now), has also played a major role in enhancing his popularity. The audience has embraced his real-life persona. He does not follow any set procedures as a TV host, instead relying on his gut feeling. The audience loves his genuine side.
Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan have made cameo appearances in each other’s films several times over the years. Their most recent collaboration was in ‘Pathaan’ (2023), where Salman reprised his role as Tiger from his own spy thriller franchise to help out Pathaan (Shah Rukh Khan) in a major train sequence. The action-packed spy thriller broke many box office records, with audiences enthralled to see Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan destroying their enemies together.
Salman Khan’s last release, ‘Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan’ (2023) tanked at the box office and also failed to impress the critics, trade experts and even fans of Salman. The film could only earn a bit over Rs. 110 Crore throughout its run in the theaters in India.
Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif are all set to reunite in the highly-anticipated third installment of the Tiger franchise, ‘Tiger 3’. Fans have been eagerly awaiting any news about the film and the first poster was finally released yesterday. The poster features Katrina and Salman looking fierce as spies, ready to take on a dangerous mission.
The film is directed by Maneesh Sharma and is slated to release in theaters this Diwali. With Yash Raj Films expanding their spy universe, there is a lot of buzz around ‘Tiger 3’, which is being headlined by two of the biggest stars in Bollywood.
Despite the changing trends, audience’s expectations and the series of controversies, Salman Khan remains one of the biggest stars in Bollywood. He has a large and loyal fan base, in India and overseas. As per many film analysts, Bhaijaan should consider working with better directors instead of being a ghost director for his film productions, take care of his image and wardrobe and learn from his failures.
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