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He is Bollywood's original bad boy. But two decades after his debut — and debacles—his original image has paled in front of his newly acquired status—that of a phenomenon and the most sought after actor in Hindi cinema. Earlier known for giving flops after a mega hit, now Salman Khan can do no wrong. His latest hit "Ready" may not match the first week collection of his "Dabangg", but Salman's message is loud and clear—he's got his act together after crossing the age of 40, a threshold that most actors dread.
How else does one explain the fact that "Ready" was widely panned by critics but took an extraordinary opening at the box office and continues to sustain itself both in single screens and multiplexes? Says trade analyst Vajir Singh, "We're seeing a new trend here. Earlier, multiplexgoers weren't interested in masala entertainers, but now they are. When "Wanted" released, it got maximum single screen audience as it was a mass-oriented film, but "Dabangg" was patronised by both multiplexgoers and the singleplex audience. It all began with "Ghajini", but it was "Wanted" that really kicked off the trend of wholesale entertainment masala movies. The deal was sealed by Salman's own film "Dabangg"."
Critics feel that Salman is unpredictable. A trade pundit said, "Right after "Wanted", Salman had two big flops in "Main Aur Mrs Khanna" and " London Dreams". Between 2005 and 2009, Salman had only two hits —"No Entry" in 2005 and "Partner" in 2007."
Filmmaker David Dhawan, who has given Salman six hits in his career, says, "I feel he has always been underrated as an actor. Although Salman gives the impression of being nonchalant, he has always taken himself seriously as an actor The fact is that the negatives in his lives have not affected his fan following, the audiences love him too much." Dhawan also believes Sallu is the Rajinikanth of Bollywood. "Salman Khan is like Rajinikanth, you cannot keep him tied to the script. Like Rajini, he improvises his scenes. Since he is a writer's son and a writer himself, he has helped me with scenes. Salman's emphasis on doing things in style and having dialogues with flair comes from his father. Salman the actor is a giver. In fact, there have been times when has given away his scenes to other actors. He has been the most easy actor to work with and is the best entertainer we have today."
Dramatic past
Like his idol, actor Sanjay Dutt, Salman's personal life almost took a toll on his career — be it in matters of the heart or law. The actor's relationships with his women —Sangeeta Bijlani, Somy Ali and Aishwarya Rai —has always been wrought with high-voltage drama. Although he acquired an image of a girlfriend-basher and was an accused in a hit-and-run case, he bounced back with superhit "Tere Naam", "Baghbaan", "Garv" and "Mujhse Shaadi Karogi".
Ranjan Singh, who has been in exhibition business for many years, says, "Although "Garv" was not a big hit, but it took a good opening. Exhibitors love Salman probably because he does more films than all the other Khans. He's one actor who cuts across all classes, and makes sure that audiences walk into the theatre on the first day of release. Even a film like "Veer" took a huge opening although it failed to impress the audiences later."
Sociologist Shiv Vishwanath describes the Sallu phenomenon thus: "Salman Khan does not need a good conduct certificate. He doesn't need a high IQ, he doesn't have to take stands and he is not an intellectual like the other two Khans. He is the lowest common denominator. He is a hero and a wishlist. All of us dream of being loved even if we are a bit bad. Salman Khan accommodates that world. You don't have to work hard to be a Salman Khan. It's a more magical world where people forgive you easily. That's Salman. He is also strangely the family man without being married —he carries a soap opera of a family with him. It's a clan. He accommodates them all —from Helen to Malika Arora Khan. He advertises himself. He is his own message, literally and symbolically. He doesn't have to try hard. What more can you ask? Everything he does echoes himself."
Psychologist Dr Harish Shetty has his own take on Salman's success despite the many controversies in his life. "The nuance, the nautanki and the noise is all cool. Salman is perceived as a funny lesser evil. Those who castigated him earlier feel guilty as he pales in the presence of a Raja, Kalmadi or a Maran. 'Salman itna kharab nahi hai' is a common refrain."
Sallu getting serious?
Salman himself does not believe that he has turned into a phenomenon. "Three big hits ("Wanted", "Dabangg" and "Ready") do not make me a phenomenon and I don't believe that these films have worked only because of my presence. It was a team effort." Having said that, he adds, "I have been lucky that good scripts have begun coming to me. Earlier that was not the case. I did films for friends. Some worked, some didn't. Besides, every film and ever actor has his own destiny."
The perception today is that Salman has begun taking his work more seriously now, but the actor does not agree. "Was I not serious in my earlier films like Maine Pyaar Kiya?"
TV ka boss
Salman's ventures on the small screen with shows like "Dus Ka Dum" and "Bigg Boss" showcased his off-screen personality and helped him to connect with viewers big time. It's no surprise that the actor readily agreed to do "Bigg Boss 5". Salman Khan is also the most downloaded star today. "If brands earlier sought out only the macho side of his personality, his TV innings and his philanthropic work have showcased a softer side," says Salman's brand manager Vivek Kamath. The fact is that Salman has an amazing body of work as a romantic hero ("Maine Pyar Kiya", "Hum Aapke Hain Koun", "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam") as comic hero ("Andaz Apna Apna", "Partner", "Ready") and as action hero ("Tere Naam", "Wanted", "Dabangg") and brands are now seeking to capture these aspects. "So in Wheel and Gitanjali, you see the romantic side. Mountain Dew and Dixcy Scott capture the action hero. Rotomac taps into the activist. Chloromint brought out the comic side," says Kamath. The ICC World Cup was this year's biggest event and India won the cup. But in the two months after that victory, no cricketer has signed a single new brand, while Salman has signed not one but two. "This stands testimony to his appeal," adds Kamath, refusing to divulge the names of the brands right now.
Next is what?
In the next one-and-a-half years, Salman has three releases —"Bodyguard", "Kick", and "Dabangg 2". Approximately Rs 250 crore would be riding on these three films in terms of investment, but investing in Salman is giving big returns right now. Independent distributor and trade analyst Suneil Wadhwa says, "There is already a queue of distributors wanting to buy his movies at any cost as they give guaranteed returns in the first weekend. Bookings of screens for his films will go up with each release."
"Bodyguard", his next Eid release, is perhaps the hottest film of 2011 in trade circles. After Ready's performance at the box office, Reliance Entertainment, who are the co-producers of the film, are getting offers that are unprecedented in motion picture business. The India theatrical business alone is attracting offers to the tune of Rs 75 crore, an increment of Rs 20 crore on the sale price of "Ready". All other rights of Bodyguard will fetch an additional Rs 45 crore, safely making it a Rs 120 crore film on an investment of Rs 65 crore plus marketing expenses. "We are receiving great offers for Bodyguard and naturally so," Priti Sahani of Reliance Entertainment. "Last year, when we had invested a certain amount in Salman, it did seem to be expensive but now we are on a solid economic wicket. A Salman Khan film is delivering returns on the investment," she adds.
How else does one explain the fact that "Ready" was widely panned by critics but took an extraordinary opening at the box office and continues to sustain itself both in single screens and multiplexes? Says trade analyst Vajir Singh, "We're seeing a new trend here. Earlier, multiplexgoers weren't interested in masala entertainers, but now they are. When "Wanted" released, it got maximum single screen audience as it was a mass-oriented film, but "Dabangg" was patronised by both multiplexgoers and the singleplex audience. It all began with "Ghajini", but it was "Wanted" that really kicked off the trend of wholesale entertainment masala movies. The deal was sealed by Salman's own film "Dabangg"."
Critics feel that Salman is unpredictable. A trade pundit said, "Right after "Wanted", Salman had two big flops in "Main Aur Mrs Khanna" and " London Dreams". Between 2005 and 2009, Salman had only two hits —"No Entry" in 2005 and "Partner" in 2007."
Filmmaker David Dhawan, who has given Salman six hits in his career, says, "I feel he has always been underrated as an actor. Although Salman gives the impression of being nonchalant, he has always taken himself seriously as an actor The fact is that the negatives in his lives have not affected his fan following, the audiences love him too much." Dhawan also believes Sallu is the Rajinikanth of Bollywood. "Salman Khan is like Rajinikanth, you cannot keep him tied to the script. Like Rajini, he improvises his scenes. Since he is a writer's son and a writer himself, he has helped me with scenes. Salman's emphasis on doing things in style and having dialogues with flair comes from his father. Salman the actor is a giver. In fact, there have been times when has given away his scenes to other actors. He has been the most easy actor to work with and is the best entertainer we have today."
Dramatic past
Like his idol, actor Sanjay Dutt, Salman's personal life almost took a toll on his career — be it in matters of the heart or law. The actor's relationships with his women —Sangeeta Bijlani, Somy Ali and Aishwarya Rai —has always been wrought with high-voltage drama. Although he acquired an image of a girlfriend-basher and was an accused in a hit-and-run case, he bounced back with superhit "Tere Naam", "Baghbaan", "Garv" and "Mujhse Shaadi Karogi".
Ranjan Singh, who has been in exhibition business for many years, says, "Although "Garv" was not a big hit, but it took a good opening. Exhibitors love Salman probably because he does more films than all the other Khans. He's one actor who cuts across all classes, and makes sure that audiences walk into the theatre on the first day of release. Even a film like "Veer" took a huge opening although it failed to impress the audiences later."
Sociologist Shiv Vishwanath describes the Sallu phenomenon thus: "Salman Khan does not need a good conduct certificate. He doesn't need a high IQ, he doesn't have to take stands and he is not an intellectual like the other two Khans. He is the lowest common denominator. He is a hero and a wishlist. All of us dream of being loved even if we are a bit bad. Salman Khan accommodates that world. You don't have to work hard to be a Salman Khan. It's a more magical world where people forgive you easily. That's Salman. He is also strangely the family man without being married —he carries a soap opera of a family with him. It's a clan. He accommodates them all —from Helen to Malika Arora Khan. He advertises himself. He is his own message, literally and symbolically. He doesn't have to try hard. What more can you ask? Everything he does echoes himself."
Psychologist Dr Harish Shetty has his own take on Salman's success despite the many controversies in his life. "The nuance, the nautanki and the noise is all cool. Salman is perceived as a funny lesser evil. Those who castigated him earlier feel guilty as he pales in the presence of a Raja, Kalmadi or a Maran. 'Salman itna kharab nahi hai' is a common refrain."
Sallu getting serious?
Salman himself does not believe that he has turned into a phenomenon. "Three big hits ("Wanted", "Dabangg" and "Ready") do not make me a phenomenon and I don't believe that these films have worked only because of my presence. It was a team effort." Having said that, he adds, "I have been lucky that good scripts have begun coming to me. Earlier that was not the case. I did films for friends. Some worked, some didn't. Besides, every film and ever actor has his own destiny."
The perception today is that Salman has begun taking his work more seriously now, but the actor does not agree. "Was I not serious in my earlier films like Maine Pyaar Kiya?"
TV ka boss
Salman's ventures on the small screen with shows like "Dus Ka Dum" and "Bigg Boss" showcased his off-screen personality and helped him to connect with viewers big time. It's no surprise that the actor readily agreed to do "Bigg Boss 5". Salman Khan is also the most downloaded star today. "If brands earlier sought out only the macho side of his personality, his TV innings and his philanthropic work have showcased a softer side," says Salman's brand manager Vivek Kamath. The fact is that Salman has an amazing body of work as a romantic hero ("Maine Pyar Kiya", "Hum Aapke Hain Koun", "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam") as comic hero ("Andaz Apna Apna", "Partner", "Ready") and as action hero ("Tere Naam", "Wanted", "Dabangg") and brands are now seeking to capture these aspects. "So in Wheel and Gitanjali, you see the romantic side. Mountain Dew and Dixcy Scott capture the action hero. Rotomac taps into the activist. Chloromint brought out the comic side," says Kamath. The ICC World Cup was this year's biggest event and India won the cup. But in the two months after that victory, no cricketer has signed a single new brand, while Salman has signed not one but two. "This stands testimony to his appeal," adds Kamath, refusing to divulge the names of the brands right now.
Next is what?
In the next one-and-a-half years, Salman has three releases —"Bodyguard", "Kick", and "Dabangg 2". Approximately Rs 250 crore would be riding on these three films in terms of investment, but investing in Salman is giving big returns right now. Independent distributor and trade analyst Suneil Wadhwa says, "There is already a queue of distributors wanting to buy his movies at any cost as they give guaranteed returns in the first weekend. Bookings of screens for his films will go up with each release."
"Bodyguard", his next Eid release, is perhaps the hottest film of 2011 in trade circles. After Ready's performance at the box office, Reliance Entertainment, who are the co-producers of the film, are getting offers that are unprecedented in motion picture business. The India theatrical business alone is attracting offers to the tune of Rs 75 crore, an increment of Rs 20 crore on the sale price of "Ready". All other rights of Bodyguard will fetch an additional Rs 45 crore, safely making it a Rs 120 crore film on an investment of Rs 65 crore plus marketing expenses. "We are receiving great offers for Bodyguard and naturally so," Priti Sahani of Reliance Entertainment. "Last year, when we had invested a certain amount in Salman, it did seem to be expensive but now we are on a solid economic wicket. A Salman Khan film is delivering returns on the investment," she adds.
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