He made a name for himself with soft-spoken, romantic roles. Lately it seems like Salman Khan's mission in life is to prove what a very good actor that makes him.
Son of scriptwriter Salim Khan (who co-wrote classics like Sholay, Deewar, Zanjeer, and Mr. India), Salman shot to fame as a gentle Romeo in the 1989 blockbuster Maine Pyar Kiya. He then went on to star in some of the biggest hits of the 90s, among them Hum Aapke Hain Koun...!, Karan Arjun, and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. In recent years, however, his drama off-screen proved more gripping than any movie. He moved from scrape to messy scrape with the law, the media, and his sometimes girlfriend, Miss World-turned-actress Aishwarya Rai. Columnists bemoaned his bad boy ways. Religious fundamentalists protested his taste in women (he was a Muslim; Aishwarya, a Hindu). But all along, diehard fans swore he was simply misunderstood.
Now he stands accused of manslaughter. And even those fans may reached their limit.
Fall 1998 marked the beginning of Salman's legal troubles. While in Jodhpur, Rajasthan to shoot the 'Mhare Hivda' song sequence for Yashraj's Hum Saath Saath Hain, he and several costars went hunting in the nearby Thar Desert. The group strayed onto a Bishnoi reservation, where Salman shot a black buck, a member of an endangered species that is illegal to hunt. The Bishnoi -- being a tribe that believes in the sanctity of all life, and not at all in the sanctity of film stars -- physically detained the actor, who was then thrown into jail by an unsympathetic magistrate. The scandal sent reporters scrambling for their pens -- which they then used to draw an indelible black mark next to the actor's name.
Media then turned their attention to his rocky relationship with Aishwarya Rai, whom he began to date after acting across from her in 1999's Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. Rumors already existed claiming that Khan had physically abused a former girlfriend, Pakistani actress Somy Ali. Now the Rai family's rumored displeasure fueled similar tales regading his behavior with Aishwarya. The media gleefully featured reports about Salman's late night visits to Aishwarya's apartment: neighbors claimed he pounded on Aishwarya's door for hours, screaming futile, furious demands to be let inside.
Still, rumormongers had no proof until early 2002, when Aishwarya's parents filed a complaint with the Mumbai police, alleging that an intoxicated Khan broke windowpanes and furniture in Aishwarya's home and made threats against the Rai household in general. In the complaint, the Rais stated that they "should not be held responsible for any untoward incident involving the actor." (B4U TV, Jan 2002) Then an agitated Khan stormed onto the sets of Aishwarya' upcoming film with Abhishek Bachchan (Ramesh Sippy's Kuch Na Kaho). Khan pushed the actress to the ground, prompting intervention from spectators, who demanded he leave. Before departing, he backed his car into another -- Aishwarya's, by some reports -- leaving the witnesses shocked and, in the case of our fair heroine, bruised to boot. (B4U TV, Jan 2002)A similar incident allegedly occured months later, in fall 2002, on the sets of Aishwarya's film with Shahrukh Khan. According to the Hindustan Times, when Shahrukh Khan attempted to intervene in the couple's heated quarrel, he was verbally attacked by Salman, and the two have not spoken since (though, according to the newspaper, Salman has tried to tender an apology).
The last incident -- which some say resulted in Rai being booted from the film -- prompted the actress to break with old habit and go public with her complaints. She told a reporter in September 2002, "Salman and I broke up last March, but he isn't able to come to terms with it... After we broke up, he would call me and talk rubbish. He also suspected me of having affairs with my co-stars. I was linked up with everyone, from Abhishekh Bachchan to Shah Rukh Khan. There were times when Salman got physical with me, luckily without leaving any marks. And I would go to work as if nothing had happened." (The Times of India, September 27, 2002)
[A sidebar: in defense of Aishwarya's claims, Khan certainly did not behave as though the relationship were over. In March, at a Mumbai nightclub called Olives, actor Rishi Kapoor's son, Ranbir, allegedly called attention to an attractive girl by commenting, "Wow, she's good. She reminds me of Aishwarya." Displeased to hear his lady love's name bandied so cavalierly, Salman then attacked Ranbir, stopping only when fellow actor Sanjay Dutt intervened and informed Salman whose son he was thrashing. Appalled, Salman forced a gold watch on Ranbir and sent him several designer shirts by way of apology -- but not before the press found out about the fracas. (Cineblitz, Mar. 2002)]
Not a week after Rai's interview went to press, Khan, returning home from a night on the town, ran his car over four men sleeping on a sidewalk. Two of them were seriously injured, and one died . Despite the fact that a policeman was in Khan's car (Khan had been receiving police protection due to death threats from the mafia), Khan absconded from the scene. He later claimed that he felt his life was threatened by the mob that formed after the collision, but some suspected he'd wanted to avoid a blood-alcohol test. To this, Khan responded that his bodyguard was the one driving anyway. The policeman present at the time of the accident claims otherwise, saying that Khan was the one driving. In an "officially unrelated" incident, the police have revoked their protection services for the actor.
Meanwhile, t he case has yet to go to trial, though many, remembering similar cases in the past, are skeptical that Khan will be held accountable.
On less serious fronts, one of the most popular criticisms leveled against Salman's acting is his tendency to remove his shirt at the earliest opportunity. The issue puts him on the defensive. "I realised that a good body was an asset and hence I cast my shirt off for the film. When you have a good body, why shouldn't you show it off, man? Walking around bare-chested is not new for me. Even in my house, I never wear a shirt. You will always find me in just shorts. If I am driving or walking down the road, and if I feel hot, I just take off my shirt and carry on. I do not care what people say. If you have a problem, get lost." (Rediff, June 1998)
With his longstanding policy of alternately shunning and antagonizing the press, Salman has offered an easy mark for journalists. But rumors of his arrogance anger him. In a June 1998 interview with Rediff, he vented:
"Call me arrogant or whatever you like. I am like this. I try and put forward myself very clearly. I am not scared of speaking the truth. I have been labelled arrogant by a section of the film press, especially those magazines which want me to run around them and accept whatever they write about me. If I call you names, if I write rubbish about your family, will you like it? It can spoil your relationships with your colleagues and family and also land you in a soup. Just because somebody wants to sell his magazine, does it mean I should allow them to make use of me?
"If I am so bad then why aren't people scared of me? Why do children run and come to me for autographs? Why don't parents hesitate to introduce me to their children? Do I behave like a real-life villain? The truth is that only those people are scared of me, who, when I was going through a low phase, wrote a lot of rubbish about me. I was rude to people because of their own mistakes. Most of them were journalists who indulged in yellow journalism, and I refused to give them interviews.
"Since I stopped entertaining them, they wrote a load of bullshit about me. Why should I take all that shit? I am a man who has his principles and will adhere to it." (Rediff, June 1998)
Some would like to know what those principles are, exactly. The rest -- that shrinking circle of Salman-fans -- can wait eagerly for his star turn in the upcoming Hindi-English co-production, Marigold. The plot: when a B-grade Hollywood star is stranded in India, she's forced to accept a role in a Bollywood film to pay her way home. Unfortunately, she can't dance. Khan will star as the dance instructor who saves the day, opposite the as-yet-uncast American actress. The movie -- directed by Hollywood figure Willard Scott (Playing By Heart), with an edited version to play in mainstream American theaters -- will make Salman the first of Bollywood's leading men to brave the Loews and United Artists of American suburbia. Hopefully the man who used to be one of Bollywood's most loved stars can get his life back on track, because his career shows no sign of losing steam -- no matter what some might hope.
Salman Khan: enfant terrible at 40?
Mumbai, Dec 31 (IANS) It's very easy to brand Salman Khan an unholy terror and be done with it. After all, he has been in trouble in the past...and will probably continue to be on the wrong side of the morality line.
Then why does he command so much hysterical adulation from family, friends and fans?
"It's a tricky question," says a very close friend of Salman. "I've seen both sides of Salman. I've seen him as the enfant terrible and I've seen him as the absolutely gracious and kind soul who will go out and do anything for his friends. Salman is what we call a 'yaaron ka yaar'. There's little that he won't do for someone he cares for."
That's one side of Salman. The other, far more strongly assertive, side is the one that surfaces when inebriated or pushed to the corner.
This is the side that surfaces when Salman turns into a child-like attention seeker. It's the side that Aishwarya Rai got to see when she was with Salman.
The love affair, like all love connections, started beautifully enough on the sets of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam". By the time Sanjay started work on his next film "Devdas", their relationship had taken a sharp violent and irreversible turn.
This was the time when Salman began to get aggressively possessive about his ladylove. He would accuse her of having an affair with every co-star she worked with. Once, while director Rohan Sippy was shooting his debut film "Kuch Naa Kaho", Salman stormed on to the sets and tried to bodily drag her out. When members of the crew protested he threatened to punch their nose.
In fact, anyone who protested on Aishwarya's behalf was labelled a traitor and given the Khan-damn treatment.
The brutality and violence reached a flashpoint for Aishwarya when she told him she couldn't take him and the brutality any longer.
"No" to Salman? Not acceptable! Thereafter he began to hound the lady like a man possessed. He monitored every move she made and parked his vehicle outside her building daring her to step out. For an awards function, Aishwarya had to drive out crouching in the backseat of her car so that her jealous admirer wouldn't spy on her as she broke the 'house arrest' treaty.
Salman landed up at the awards function to humiliate her in every way possible. Not a single soul intervened. They watched mutely or pretended not to see as Salman threatened, heckled and jeered.
This scene was almost like an instant replay version of what had happened to poor Zeenat Aman in the early 1980s when a co-star (coincidentally another macho Khan) and his wife clobbered her in full public eye as everyone stood in a semi-circle and watched.
Zeenat nearly lost her eye to what she thought was love. Aishwarya's scars aren't that visible.
Why and how is Salman Khan allowed to get away with such behaviour with women, not once but repeatedly?
Many years ago he had followed actress Somy Ali into a discotheque, where she was chilling out with friends, and emptied a bottle of a soft drink on her head, then chased the poor girl on the road as she tried to drive away.
Is this normal behaviour for a 40-year-old man?
Maybe not. But Salman has his own strange pattern of right and wrong. Salman is said to have told his close friends that he has no recollection of the conversations with Aishwarya splashed in the press. Maybe he doesn't.
As one of his devoted co-stars cooed, "Salman is such a bachcha (baby)! All that terrorist talk is just like a child playing with dangerous toys, pretending he's all grown up."
Child at 40? Surely there's something seriously wrong with this kind of indulgent perception of delinquent behaviour. But, then, I haven't met a single Salman co-star who doesn't dote on him.
The best part of his tumultuous life is the amazing support system provided by his family. His brothers are killingly protective about the star of the family. Salman's family and friends rallying around him is understandable - he has always incited a fearfully protective instinct among all his co-stars.
Blessedly he still has fans and popularity. The success of "Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya" proves it. Sure, "Kyon Ki" didn't work. But it proved Salman is willing to take risks.
As he celebrated his 40th birthday recently, one can only hope to see him finally settle down in life.
Music Reviews:
Partner :
This comic caper has been produced by Sohail Khan and directed by David Dhawan who has made many hit comic capers in the past. Partner stars Salman and Govinda along with actresses Lara Dutta and Katrina Kaif. Govinda has given many hit comic capers in his earlier times and Salman too is known to have a flair for comedy, hence audiences are anxious to gauge the comic chemistry between this duo. Moreover the music of the film is another element that seems to be working for the film as the music is fun, peppy, energetic and has all the ‘masala’ elements. The music for Partner has been composed by Sajid-Wajid and Wajid makes his debut as a singer for Salman’s voice in the film. Singers like Wajid, Udit Narayan, Shaan, Shweta Pandit, Sunidhi Chauhan etc have lent their voices for the album. The music is for the masses, entertaining, fun and catchy.
‘Do U Wanna Partner’- A peppy, energetic and fun number which has been sung by Udit Narayan and Shaan. The song has a loud feel with varied kinds of beats thrown in from the zingy salsa to traditional tabla and lyrics that are wacky and funny. The lyrics and music are mass appealing. Beats and rhythm are fast paced and makes for good dancing music. Although the lyrics may not have great lyrical value, it fits in with the light comic element of the film. Overall the song is fun, enthusiastic and likeable. There is a ‘Remix Version’ which has faster beats with a lot more fun in the form of claps, whistles etc. Moreover the song is based on Salman and Govinda who gyrate on a beach with beautiful gals, so there’s lots of eye candy, the beautiful beaches and Salman and Govinda’s funny expressions to look forward to. The song is a time-pass number and is already being appreciated by the masses.
Score: 8/10
‘Dupatta Tera Nau Rang Da’- Sonu Nigam and Kunal Ganjawala belt out this number along with female voice Shreya Ghoshal. The song is a blend of old world charm with subtle sweet lyrics blended with techno, synchronized beats. The beats are fast paced and have an extremely modern feel to it. Rhythm and style of the song is different and interesting thus making it a good number to hear.
Score: 8/10
‘You’re My Love’- This hip-hop feel number has been sung by Shaan and Shweta Pandit. DJ Earl jazzes it up with some cool, funky rap. Beats are spry and sprightly making it a good dance number. Lyrics are catchy and mass appealing. Flute sounds are incorporated in the musical arrangements giving it a varied feel. The song is glossy and stylish and pictured on Salman and Lara gyrating. It has a ‘Remix Version’ with synchronized beats and various add-on mix sounds. Overall it is a fairly average number which is more high on the style quotient.
Score: 7/10
‘Maria Maria’- It begins with a Latina-Salsa and Goan flavour. The song is sung by Sonu Nigam and Sunidhi Chauhan. It has a festive celebratory feel to it with average paced beats. It later moves to a 90’s kind of style and rendition in the song. Violins are heard in the musical arrangements and the song is strictly okay but nothing to rave about.
Score: 6/10
‘Soni De Nakhre’- The title itself makes it known that the song has a dominant Punjabi flavour. It has been sung by Laab Jaanjuwa and Sneha Pant. There are some very weird words and sounds used in this song, but in keeping with the light comedy mood again one just goes with the flow and goes along with it all. Punjabi words along with Punjabi kind of rap is added to give it a modern feel. It’s a typical masala time-pass, fun number.
Partner is an album which has many mass appealing numbers. The songs are breezy, light, funky, fun, modern and groovy. Even the lyrics though at times may seem a bit silly; it turns out to be endearing and funny. The music seems apt for a comedy film and is kept light and has the right amount of masala which makes it a good time-pass commercial album.
Is Salman-Govinda friendship fake?
Salman Khan is known in Bollywood for doling out favours to people who he likes. Now, it is Govinda who is Sallu bhai's apple of the eye. Buzz is that it was Salman who got Govinda into David Dhawan's Partner. Before that, the two came together for Salaam-e-Ishq.
But all that is in reel life. What's happening between them in real life? Recent events definitely make one doubt how close they are.
Salman bhai was nowhere to be seen at Neelam's (Govinda's daughter) birthday party. Then Govinda was missing from the music launch party of Salman's first Hollywood venture Marigold.
Then came the screening of Partner by Salman Khan Foundation's Being Human for 700 underprivileged children. Even Rajpal Yadav, turned up for the event, Katrina Kaif made it though late. But Govinda was nowhere to be seen.
The rift shows on the small screens as well. Salman Khan will be a guest in the musical talent hunt Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, while Govinda will be seen in Indian Idol 3.
Salman Khan dabbles in scriptwriting
Salman Khan sure has inherited artistic genes from his illustrious father Salim Khan.
Salim Khan is the man who co-wrote scripts for some of the cult classics like Sholay , Zanjeer , Trishool and Amar Akbar Anthony . Although he no longer writes for Bollywood films, Salim Khan is now said to be helping his son Salman pen a script.
Salman is writing a script titled ‘Veer’.
The actor says he often takes help and guidance from his father when he gets stuck in scriptwriting.
“He is superb with ideas and words. The films that we make nowadays are below his level,†Salman is quoted as saying about his father.
Salman says the script that he is writing with help from his father will take a long time to complete.
Will the project be made by brother Sohail Khan’s production house?
Salman says it is too early to talk about the project.
As of now, it is David Dhawan’s slapstick comedy Partner that is dominating Salman’s thoughts. The film has him teaming up with Govinda .
I've got a strong evil side - Salman Khan
Bollywood Trade News Network
In his most candid interview till date, superstar Salman Khan has talked of his 'evil' side and about how, when he wants something, he can find a way that is 'not clean' to get it.
Salman was baring his heart on the TIMES NOW show 'Frankly Speaking', and in response to a question as to how he had changed in the last 18 years since his film debut.
"I have grown a little bit with a bit of maturity", he said, "If I have to do something then I can find out a way that is not a clean way. If I want to get something or I want to do something, then I can scheme, I can plan. So I have my own problems in my mind, I could get vicious. It is my conscious effort to control that and not to go to the evil side."
When told that everyone has a evil side, Salman said, "I have got a tremendous evil side that I don't like. I know this is good, this is bad, and what the right way is. And that is my constant battle, my constant fight with myself."
Salman also spoke extensively for the first time about grappling with the prospect of going to jail again, in the black buck case. The film star, whose career has been riddled with controversies, said he had even "stopped going to parties" because "he would get into trouble every time".
"When people say that they are so lonely I want to ask them what they mean. I mean, who is better than you spending time alone. Being lonely is when nobody wants to be with you. Being alone is your choice. I'd rather be alone than be lonely. I have been to jail a couple of times. I never got bored of me," said Salman, an interesting comment especially at a time when there is intense speculation about his imminent marriage with girlfriend Katrina Kaif.
Comparing himself to the other two Khans', Salman said that he is much more "chilled out" and that the others work too hard. "Shahrukh is very very dedicated very hard working. Aamir is ten times as hard working than Shahrukh can be. As for me, I am chilled out. I have fun when I do my movies. I want to enjoy myself, if you are in the entertainment business you cannot take this so seriously."
On a lighter note, when his habit of taking off his shirt, was compared to Saurav Ganguly taking off his shirt at the Lords cricket stadium in London, Salman had some advice for the former India captain.
"Sourav should not have done it. I mean, you must have something to show. Come on, Sourav Ganguly taking off his shirt!" he laughed.
Don't miss the most candid interview of Salman Khan ever only on TIMES NOW's Frankly Speaking with Arnab Goswami on Sunday.
Salman Khan keeps 'London Dreams' alive
Rajkumar Santoshi may have abandoned the idea of directing a musical movie called London Dreams , but Salman Khan is not giving up his hope.
It is common knowledge that Santoshi was roped in to direct a musical film about two childhood buddies who grow to become rockstars in London. Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan were supposed to play the lead roles.
However, for a long time Santoshi has been dilly-dallying about directing the film. Now, he has made it clear that he has abandoned the movie altogether.
While Santoshi has washed his hands off the project, Salman Khan is reportedly eager to see the film made.
He has talked with the movie's producer P J Singh to get another director.
Not just this, Salman has recommended the name of Vipul Amrutlal Shah (who recently made the hit movie Namastey London ) to Singh. Salman has also spoken to Vipul Shah and asked him if he would be interested in directing 'London Dreams'.
Vipul Shah has reportedly shown interest in the project but he has not yet given his final word. Shah says he will first read the film's script before making any commitments.
Will 'London Dreams' retain its original star cast of Salman and Ajay Devgan? Or will Vipul Shah's favourite Akshay Kumar replace Devgan?
Shah says everything will be finalized after he reads the script.
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FILMS
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1988 Biwi Ho To Aisi
1989 Kurbaan
1989 Maine Pyar Kiya*
1990 Baagi
1990 Patthar Ke Phool
1991 Saajan*
1991 Sanam Bewafa
1992 Ek Ladka Ek Ladki
1992 Nishay
1992 Suryavanshi
1993 Chandramukhi
1993 Dil Tera Aashiq
1994 Andaz Apna Apna*
1994 Chaand Kaa Tukdaa
1994 Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!*
1995 Karan Arjun*
1995 Majdhaar
1995 Veergati
1996 Dushman Duniya Ka
1996 Jeet
1996 Khamoshi*
1997 Auzaar
1997 Deewana Mastana
1997 Judwaa*
1998 Bandhan
1998 Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai
1998 Kuch Kuch Hota Hai*
1998 Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya*
1998 Sar Utha Ke Jiyo
1999 Biwi No. 1*
1999 Hello Brother
1999 Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam*
1999 Hum Saath Saath Hain
1999 Jaanam Samjha Karo
2000 Chal Mere Bhai
2000 Dulhan Hum Le Jayenge
2000 Dus
2000 Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega*
2000 Kahin Pyar Na Ho Jaaye
2001 Chori Chori Chupke Chupke*
2002 Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam
2002 Tumko Na Bhool Payenge
2002 Yeh Hai Jalwa
2003 Baghban
2003 Tere Naam*
2004 Dil Ne Jise Apna Kaha
2004 Garv
2004 Mujhse Shaadi Karoge
2004 Phir Milenge
2004 Shaadi Karke Phas Gaya Yaar
