Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor in a still from Bajrangi Bhaijaan.
Despite a remarkable lack of punchlines and shirtlessness, Salman Khan has delivered yet another Eid blockbuster. As has become a Bollywood tradition of sorts, the 49-year-old actor's latest film
Bajrangi Bhaijaan has had a superhit tryst with Eid. The Kabir Khan-directed film has also become the quickest film to cross the Rs 100-crore barrier. This also Salman's eighth Rs 100-crore film and, in becoming so, has made the superstar the only actor (in Hindi cinema) with as many Rs 100-crore films.
Trade analyst Taran Adarsh tweeted:
The film opened to mixed reviews from critics but thrilled the actor's fans and industry
wallahs. Many, including Salman's
Andaz Apna Apna co-star Aamir Khan, have hailed
Bajrangi Bhaijaan as Salman's best film till date.
Like Amitabh-Rekha, Dharmendra-Hema and SRK-Kajol, Salman and Eid have become a jodi that spells crores for the Hindi film industry. This is a short history of Salman's date with destiny.
Salman made his debut in 1988 film
Biwi Ho To Aisi. However, 1989's
Maine Pyar Kiya was his breakthrough film, and the first in which he played a series of characters named Prem. After that, Salman's career graph rose with superhit films like
Karan Arjun, Biwi No 1 and
Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, and dipped with box office duds like
Bandhan and
Kahin Pyaar Na Ho Jaaye.
He was a bonafide star, but he had to wait till 2009 to obtain the superstar status and the unreal level of mass adulation he enjoys today. That year, with the release of Wanted, Salman crossed the Rs 100-crore barrier. It was also his first Eid release. And ever since, Eid was booked for Salman and every film that released on the fateful date became a blockbuster.v Here's a look at Salman's 'Blockbuster Eid' - none of them starring a 'Prem':
Wanted, 2009: Lifetime collection: Rs 120 crores
Gif courtesy: ErosBefore the release of
Wanted, Salman Khan had delivered a string of flop films like
Yuvraaj, God Tussi Great Ho, Hello and
Heroes. But with
Wanted, he not only changed the numbers game in Bollywood, but also his style, persona and presentation. The Prabhu Deva-directed film was a worthy risk and it paid off.
Dabangg, 2010: Lifetime collection: Rs 138.88 crores
Next came his brother Arbaaz Khan's production
Dabangg, in which Salman starred as the rough-and-tough cop Chulbul Pandey. This film made Salman's style of acting legit, despite the critics who dismissed it as non-acting. This was also his second Eid release, which proved to be as successful as its predecessor.
Bodyguard, 2011:
Lifetime collection: Rs 148.86 crores
Next up was his brother-in-law Atul Agnihotri's film
Bodyguard, opposite Kareena Kapoor. It had all the elements of
Wanted and
Dabangg - quirky dialogues, high-octane action sequences, catchy music (which topped chartbuster list) and Salman's (now) patented style.
Ek Tha Tiger, 2012:
Lifetime collection: Rs 198.78 crores
With this Kabir Khan-directed film, Salman almost, almost outdid himself. The film's collection stopped just short of the threshold of Rs 200-crore. Nonetheless, by now Salman Khan had a fan club of viewers who had eyes only for his one-liners and filled theatres - many of them single-screen - to watch him romance Katrina Kaif and beat up goons. It helped that the soundtrack was crowded with numbers like
Mashallah and
Saiyaara.
Kick, 2014: Lifetime collection: Rs 231.85 crores
This time, Salman really did break through the Rs 200-crore roadblock. The Sajid Nadiadwala-directed film cast Salman as
aam aadmi Devi Lal turned vigilante-like Devil. The audience loved him and critics praised him. They cheered Devi's drive to get a 'kick' out of mundane things and they wept when learning why he transformed to Devil.
Salman also added his usual
tadka with songs like
Hangover and Jumme Ki Raat.
In between the Eid films have been others. Most, like
Ready and
Dabangg 2, made the sort of money that Bollywood has come to expect of a Salman film. Even when they didn't - like the reviled
Jai Ho - the 100-crore finish line was easily reached.
With
Dabangg 2, Salman ventured into Christmas territory, usually reserved for Aamir Khan. This year too, he takes a chance with Diwali (in the absence of a Shah Rukh Khan release) and his second film of 2015 -
Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, directed by Sooraj Barjatya and co-starring Sonam Kapoor.
Meanwhile, keep calm and see what else
Bajrangi Bhaijaan, also starring Kareena Kapoor and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, does for Salman Khan and his blockbuster Eid.