Salman Khan: The actor remains most bankable star even after three decades in the industry

One of the most controversial stars of Bollywood, Salman Khan or Sallu also remains its most adorable and bankable (pun intended) pillar after spending over three decades in the industry.

Having made his debut as a supporting actor in an August 1988 film Biwi Ho To Aisi with Rekha and Farooq Sheikh; he hit the jackpot with his next venture as Prem in Sooraj Barjatya’s Maine Pyar Kiya catapulting him to dizzying heights. That film by the Rajashree films became the launching pad for the career of this eldest child of the famous writer Salim Khan to a glorious position.

In the last 31 years, Salman Khan has had a tumultuous journey with all shades of its ups and downs but currently he is perched right there at the top.

While other ventures face an uncertain future, Salman Khan, has been the box office king of Bollywood. This is proved by the fact that 13 of his movies have made it to the 100-crore club.

The ‘young’ man in his fifties who refuses to get pinned to a settled married life, has set the benchmark for others so high that in the last 8 years, every Salman Khan film has crossed 100 crore mark at the box office, 5 movies touched the 200 crore club and 3 movies are in 300 crore club.

The actor has worked in more than 80 Bollywood films so far, made special appearances in several films and sung few songs. He has launched many actors too; Katrina Kaif, Zareen Khan, Daisy Shah, Sooraj Pancholi- to name only a few.

The biggest feature of his life has been not being bogged down by controversies which have been aplenty both on the personal and professional front. The latest being his differences with a man like Sanjay Leela Bhansali with whom every star dreams of acting. The duo was scheduled to begin shooting for Inshallah starring him and Alia Bhatt in September, but creative differences have led to the postponement of the project.

In the last 31 years, Salman has become a household name due to his super-duper films including Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, Maine Pyar Kiya, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Tere Naam, Hum Dil de Chuke Sanam, Dabangg, Sajan, Maine pyaar Kiya and Wanted to name only a few.

Not that it has been always a one-way story. There is an equally long list of failures in his name such as Hello Brother, Salaam-e-Ishq, Tubelight, Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega, Main Aur Mrs. Khanna and Kahin Pyar Na Ho Jaaye etc.

The point is that Salman making his presence felt in his hit films is remarkable given the fact that most of them have had the most glamorous and beautiful heroines of Bollywood starring opposite him such as Aishwarya, Madhuri, Katrina etc. A few of these movies were out and out heroine-oriented films. But he has won over the audiences with his cherubic and innocent smile and that peculiar naughty behaviour.

The bad publicity he has had with cases against him winch has only toughened his resolve not to get married till all the cases have been disposed of.

Yet another masterpiece of his strategy has been his image makeover as the host of the hugely popular TV reality show Big Boss.

This is one show where he does not have a ready-made script as in films. It is Salman Khan who monitors the activities of celebrities packed in the Big Boss home, judges them, scolds them, humors them and sometimes even throws them out for their crude behaviour.

As the ‘Super Boss’ of the show Salman is forced to be at his best behavior. Even as he judges the inmates of the house his own personal values are all the time being judged by people who stay awake till late in the night to watch the show.