The Salman Khan Day: The megastar turns 51

Bollywood megastar Salman Khan turns 51 today. Currently at the very peak of his career, Salman continued his extraordinary run at the box office this year with Sultan – currently the year’s highest grosser. No other film through the entire year, until the release of Aamir Khan’s Dangal, had been able to collect even half of what Sultan did.

The actor who began his career with a supporting role in ‘Biwi Ho To Aisi’ went on to deliver the biggest blockbuster of the 80s in Sooraj Barjatya’s ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’. Salman followed it up with yet another terrific decade, topping the 90s with ‘Hum Aapke Hain Kaun’ along with other hugely successful films like ’Karan Arjun’, ‘Hum Saath-Saath Hain’ and ‘Biwi No 1’.

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While the 2000s was a lean patch, Salman did what very few actors have achieved. He came back stronger with films like ‘Wanted’, ‘Dabangg’, ‘Ready’, ‘Bodyguard’, ‘Ek Tha Tiger’, ‘Kick’, ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’, ‘Prem Ratan Dhan Payo’ and ‘Sultan’. All films were blockbuster barring his fourth film with Sooraj Barjatya, which did well enough to cross the 200 crore mark.

2017 could well be the biggest year of his career, as Salman has two mega releases during two of the biggest weekends – Kabir Khan’s Tubelight during his favourite weekend Eid and Ali Abbas Zafar’s Tiger Zinda Hai during the biggest weekend of the year Christmas. Both potential 300 crore plus grossers.

When it comes to sheer fan-following and the kind of craze that his films generate – from the biggest of cities to the smallest of villages – Salman is the benchmark of super-stardom. A man whose presence is bigger than the director, co-stars, script and the film itself.

Here’s wishing Salman Khan a very happy 51st birthday. We pray for his success and good health.