Salman Khan - The ‘bratty’ Superstar who truly stirs ALL kinds of emotions in people

This piece is not in defence of Salman Khan. Please read on!

If you’re a ‘Bollywood’ fan, I’m sure you might have some opinion on Salman Khan. Where on one end of the spectrum, fans of ‘Bhai’ tend to tear their clothes, among other things, to show their unconditional love for him; on the other end of it, he induces such strong emotions of hate/revulsion that it makes for a rather interesting case study of ‘What it means to be Salman Khan’.

First things first. I have been a Salman Khan fan all my life. I have seen all his films (barring exceptions like Jai Ho), not with an open mind, but an open heart and a whistle in my hand. When he came on screen to do a Jumme Ki Raat, I whistled so hard, my friend who accompanied me to watch Kick almost died of shame! It’s rather strange to be doing this, knowing the silliness of it all.

Yet, I can’t help it!

Don’t get me wrong though, I do read the papers. I know what all he has done to deserve this rather public trial that has dragged on for years now. A mere mention of his name is enough to induce jokes like “Abe ye Salman ki gaadi hai. Tu side pe laga le, kahin thok na de.” I’ve seen people getting bewildered when I express my love for him, and I think they’re rightly puzzled. No one in their right mind can actually say “I love Salman Khan”, knowing everything that he has done; from harassing his ex, a culpable homicide and a shooting of an almost extinct animal.

Not to mention his frequent brawls with the media and his fall-outs with people who get on his wrong side. He can make life hell for them, I’ve heard. If you get on his wrong side, you’re as good as dead to him. And he doesn’t hide this, despite being a public persona. People say it shows a bratty attitude, an arrogance and that he’s got a rather strong clout to get him going. Why else do celebrities praise him so much in public? Saying things like “Salman is a good human, he’s a humanitarian, he does charity, he always wishes well for his friends”, etc., etc., I mean no one gets this kind of public praise about their personality other than Salman. And people who are repulsed by him say that it’s because the industry people are really scared of him and of being on his wrong side. Really? Are these celebs depending on his charity to keep them going that they say these sycophantic things? Maybe.

Then, why do I still feel the way I do about Salman Khan, knowing everything that he’s done? I guess it’s because I see a light in him, a kind of shining that is a rarity in people. To wear your true emotions on your sleeves for a public persona can be deeply terrifying. They’re afraid of being judged/labeled/dissected for ‘being’ who they are. People tend to draw close curtains on their lives, especially film stars, because they have a ‘reputation’ to maintain. And as they say ‘image is everything and everything is image’, which most people adhere to all their lives. Salman Khan doesn’t know how to ‘project’ an image of himself. He does things from his heart, like giving new actors a huge platform by signing them on (read Katrina, Daisy Shah, Zareen Khan, Pulkit Samrat, Himesh Reshammiya, Sonakshi Sinha, oh the list is endless really!). And yes, then he ruins some people’s careers too, giving out a rather confused public image. His relationship with SRK is proof of how he doesn’t know how to be anyone else. Even an exhibit of ego is sometimes endearing, and only he can get away with it. Why else would they still be friends?

Can you imagine BIG BOSS without Salman Khan?

I don’t defend his crimes, no one can. I know it’s a crime he should be punished for, even if I want to think that he made a mistake. It was a grave mistake, which cannot be pardoned. But then how I do change my feelings for him based purely on logical evidence, negating his 20 years of presence from my life? I guess, if he can still make me feel this way about him, despite everything he’s done, he’s truly a human. Maybe this is what it means to BE HUMAN.