Career Analyse of India's Biggest Megastar Salman Khan
Analysis of India's Biggest Megastar Salman Khan.
written by - Mujahir Khan
Salman started his career in a B grade film called Biwi Ho To Aisi which had Rekha and Farooq Shaikh in the lead roles and was presented by K.C. Bokadia. In his juvenile role he was opposite a girl called Renu Arya who was forgotten after a brief appearance in Chandni. The film strangely enough became a decent hit mainly due to its terrific business from interiors like Bihar, U.P. , but nobody noticed Salman in the film. He was just another new face.
Being the son of writer Salim Khan, Salman was born and brought up in the film industry. In 1988-89 Salman Khan was known more for his liaisons, first with a girl called Shaheen and later the then top model Sangeeta Bijlani. Nothing much would have happened to Salman as he was then assisting Shashilaal Nair in Falak and he was just a nice, good looking guy. Even Salim himself did not have much faith in Salman. So he was much on his own as he pursued an acting career and about that time met Sooraj Barjatya, grandson of Tarachand Barjatya of Rajshri Productions. Things were not going too well for the Barjatyas then, even though they were forty films old and a major force in distribution and exhibition of films.
Sooraj, for his script, had envisioned his own Prem and Suman and they happened to be Salman Khan and Bhagyasree. And thus Salman found himself in Maine Pyar Kiya, winning over other contenders like Deepak Tijori. To be honest, the industry sniggered. Nobody believed Salman had an aptitude for acting, or the diligence that Aamir Khan and others had started showing, or the charisma of Jackie, Anil, Sanjay Dutt.
The Rajshri vehicle, a vegetarian film as it was called, was also not considered the right launch. But when Maine Pyar kiya released, it was the biggest film of the year, winner of seven Filmfare awards and also the biggest grosser the film industry had ever seen by out grossing Sholay at the box office by netting Rs 18 crore at the domestic box office. Sooraj's clarity of thought and simplistic script appealed to the whole country and they were caught in the beautiful music and talented performances. The film ran for 100 weeks all over the country and was dubbed not just into Tamil and Telugu but also Spanish and other languages.
History was made. And Salman Khan was definitely made. His next lot of movies, Sanam Bewafa was declared a blockbuster at the box-office and Baaghi perhaps a superhit and Kurbaan & Patthar Ke Sanam were declared hits at the box office.
Though Love , where he had given terrific performance was an average grosser at the box office . '1990' and '1991' belonged to Salman Khan. The super success of Saajan, in which he starred for the first time with an established heroine, Madhuri was a bonus and the film become the biggest grosser of 1991. Thus Salman Khan became a superstar. He was charging around 75 Lakhs per films then which was only next to Amitabh Bachchan. Completely unpopular with the press, he was called the Super Brat. He was considered arrogant, rude and badly behaved by a large section of the press who had banned him, superstar status notwithstanding.
However this led to Phase Two in which Salman was almost wiped out. Jagruti, Ek Ladka Ek Ladki, Nishchay, Chandramukhi, Chand Ka Tukda and a host of other badly made films completely destroyed the Salman Khan legend and '92 -'93 were tedious years for Salman but they still had good opening mainly due to the star power of Salman Khan. Though Dil Tera Aashiq somehow managed to do about above average business.Nobody was interested in touching the boy or his films. There are always people ready to tolerate arrogance from superstars but nobody wanted to tolerate an arrogant flash in the pan
In this entire imbroglio only one man had faith in Salman and that was Sooraj Barjatya. Sooraj had finished scripting for his second movie, Hum Aapke Hai Koun and cast the two original Rajshri discoveries Salman Khan and Madhuri Dixit. Now the industry did not snigger, instead they speculated. The MPK feat was difficult to equal, however Sooraj overcame that and did better. Hum Aapke Hai Koun grossed MPK ten times over with a mammoth 75 crore rupee Indian box-office turnover. Pile on it the overseas business and the film became a six hundred print wonder and the trade and the press had to sit up and take a good second look at Salman Khan's acting potentials. Hence we have this Khan back at the top where he was ten years ago, this time much more secure and sure of his position.
Andaz Apna Apna, in which he played parallel with the another superstar Aamir Khan, it won him critical acclaim though the film was not that great success but ended up as semi hit at the box office.
Incredibly then Salman Khan holds the record of having four most successive four top grossers : Hum Aapke Hain Koun, Maine Pyar Kiya,Karan Arjun and Saajan and he had the most among his contemporaries then and hard to believe but it's true, Karan Arjun which was released after six months of Hum Aapke Hain Koun and it become second biggest grosser of all time behind HAHK. He completely stole the thunders from Shahrukh Khan. Interestingly before the arrival of DDLJ , all the top three grossers Hum Aapke Hain Koun, Maine Pyar Kiya and Karan Arjun were belonging to the Superstar Salman Khan and he got his top position back. The ban by the press and we - don't - want - any - Salman - stand were dropped overnight. His another starrer in 1995, Veergati which took one of the biggest opening of 1995 was not that pretty successful film but it did wonders for him as even his bad critics appreciated his performance. Though the film did well in Delhi, U.P. and Nizam circuit but overall ended up being just an average success.
In 1995 he was offered an unheard amount of 2 crore then for Souten Ki Beti but he refused it as he had no faith on the script of the film. It was first time when an Indian Superstar was offered such an huge amount for a film.
Jeet, where he acted with Sunny Deol for the first time was a bonafide superhit at the box office as well as third biggest grosser of 1996. His performance in box - office failure Khamoshi was very well received . Though Khamoshi failed in India but ended up being the biggest grosser of 1996 in overseas market.
1997 was turning point for Salman Khan as not only his double role Judwaa turned out to be superhit at the box office but he become the only Indian actor after Veteran Superstar Dharmendra to be voted as the most Handsome Star by the foreign Media and also he was first Indian actor whom Oprah Winfrey show invited. His younger brother Sohail Khan's directorial debut Auzaar in which he starred with Sanjay Kapoor took bumper opening at the box office but it felt flat after initial week. Though the film recovered it cost was an above average success.
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| Sunil Shetty (1998) |
laurels and credit were declared smash hits at the box office. Interestingly Pyar Kiya Toh Darna Kya and Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai were the only hit films of first half of the 1998 and both had Salman Khan in solo lead. Even a low tacky film Bandhan ended up being a hit at the box office while in 1999 all the three blockbusters : Hum Saath Saath Hain , Biwi No. 1 and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam were belonging to him.
2002 was a very bad year for Salman Khan professionally as well as career wise as his Yeh Hai Jalwa and Tumko Na Bhool Payenge bombed at the box office and even the much hyped Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam didn't performed well at the box office. He was surrounded by controversies. All thought Salman era is finished and younger slot will take his position but in 2003 his Tere Naam took record breaking opening at the box office .
and biggest opening in the last five years according to the trade analyst Komal Nahata and with it turned out to be a big hit at the box office and he shut down the mouth of his bad mouthers and haters. Even his so called bad critics had nothing to criticise. Even Baghban in which he made an extraordinary special appearance was a bonafide hit of 2003.
2004-2005 Garv : The Pride and Honour took historic opening in the centres like Rajasthan, Delhi, U.P., East Punjab, Haryana , C.P. Berar and was a bumper opener at the box office. Though the film hit in masses area but couldn't do well in the cities inspite of extraordinary performance by Salman Khan. The film declared an Above Average grosser at the box office. Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, in which he starred for the first time with Akshay Kumar took nearly record opening at the box-office inspite of heavy floods and rainfall in many centres. The film went on to become the third biggest hit of 2004 and it would have been the biggest grosser of 2004 had the floods and rainfall not been there in many centres.
No Entry turned out to be the biggest hit of 2005. His another film Maine Pyaar Kiyo Kiya had a bumper opening was a superhit at the box office. Lucky No Time, which had a bumper opening couldn't achieve great success but was a m above average film. Kyonki in which he had given very special performance was a box office dud
In terms of initial he was undoubtedly the biggest superstar from 90s to 2005. 'Mid day' in 2005 quoted "By all Accounts he commands greatest initial for any star in this country, and despite his indifference to big banners, delivers big hit every year. The supreme sign of a star is his indifference and by that yardstick Salman is the greatest living star we have " .
2006-2009 were very bad years for Salman Khan as only Partner and Wanted could turned out to be blockbuster hits but his other films like long-delayed Shaadi Karke Phas Gaya, much-awaited Yuvraj, Jaan E Mann, London Dreams, Salaam E Ishq failed miserably at the box office. Even his special appearance in Babul, Saanwariya, Saawan, Main Aur Mrs Khanna were utter flops at the box office.
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