The industry loves him. He still gets plum projects, but it is box-office glory that is eluding Salman Khan of late. The other two big Khans seem to have left him behind in the race. Can he strike back?
Diganta Guha
The infamous clash between the two Khans (Shah Rukh and Salman) at Katrina Kaif’s birthday bash last year is now history. But it has had its ramifications that will have a long-lasting impact on the film industry. Not only has it created a rift between the two friends (they don’t see eye-to-eye), but it has also divided the industry into two major camps. If we are to go by reports then it was Salman who initiated the altercation by provoking Shah Rukh. And if that is so, it brings forth the growing frustration of Sallu who finds himself on a sticky wicket thanks to flops after flops. Is Salman finding it tough to adjust to the reality that he has been left behind in the race for supremacy involving the Khan trio (Aamir Khan completing the trio)? Well, to be honest, box-office collections over the last two-three years indicate that the battle of the Khans has now narrowed down to Aamir vs Shah Rukh. A die-hard Salman fan (yours truly being one) would shout and howl at this. But the fact remains that going is tough for the Bad Boy of Bollywood. Let’s analyse.
The Khan factor
The invincible Khans have been box- office kings for more than a decade starting from the ‘90s. The big Khans have withstood the test of time and with their charisma, have drawn people to theatres. Directors, producers, distributors and exhibitors have looked to them to bail them out. Films have run on their names. Aamir has grace, Shah Rukh has charm and Salman has his physique and lover boy image. And each in his unique way and style has made box-office history. True, we associate them with some of the biggest blockbusters in the history of Bollywood. Directors and producers queued up at their doors to sign them on. Incidentally, all the three had made a mark with their debut releases as the leading man — Salman with Maine Pyar Kiya, Aamir with Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak and Shah Rukh with Deewana. A war that had begun in 1992 has seen several ups and downs but not before being termed as the most- talked about in the history of the Hindi film industry, even more than the old-time Dev Anand-Raj Kapoor-Dilip Kumar rivalry or the Amitabh Bachchan-Rajesh Khanna war. Shah Rukh, according to many, may have gone on to become the Badshah of Bollywood as the media would call him, but the other two’s presence has been as significant as it could have been.
Salman’s downfall
If you speak to industry insiders the impression that you get is that “Salman has taken his stardom for granted,” as trade expert Taran Adarsh would put it. Since 2006, if we look at Salman’s track record Adarsh’s stance is vindicated. The only hit that Salman has managed in this period is David Dhawan’s Partner (2007) in which he ‘consciously’ played the second fiddle to Govinda to salvage the latter’s career. Last year, he had four releases — Yuvvraaj, Heroes, God Tussi Great Ho and a cameo in Hello. All the films bit the dust with Subhash Ghai’s Yuvvraaj turning out to be an embarrassment for Salman’s career. On the contrary, during the same period (2006-2008---considering 2009 has just begun) SRK has had successes like Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna and Don- The Chase Begins Again in 2006, Chak De! India and Om Shanti Om in 2007 and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi in 2008. Aamir who does fewer films walked on a different path with two Oscar nominations including Rang De Basanti (2006) and Taare Zameen Par (2007) doing exceedingly well at the box-office and super hits like Fanaa (2006) and Ghajini (2008), which is breaking all records. Salman’s best in the last four-five years has been the year 2005 when he rode high on No Entry and Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya.
Where is he going wrong?
Adarsh puts his point forward — Salman has failed to understand the audience pulse. A star is one who can give a film a big opening and run it on his own shoulders. Add to it, giving something new to the audience in every film, especially in this era of experimentation. Salman’s films may have had decent openings, but that’s it. “He has this tendency to choose the wrong films and he keeps on playing the same old characters over and over again,” adds Adarsh. On the contrary, Aamir has made a name for himself as a thinking actor with the kind of roles he has enacted — from a college pass out in Rang De Basanti to a terrorist in Fanaa to a teacher in Taare Zameen Par to a person suffering from short term memory loss in Ghajini. SRK who has been blamed to be playing safe has treaded different pastures even within the masala format — a hockey coach in Chak De! India, a reincarnated person in Om Shanti Om and a man in two personas in Rab Ne…. But if you look at Salman, you more or less come across the same old style and histrionics. It’s not that Salman doesn’t try, but his choice of scripts lets him down. One did see him in a new avatar in Heroes where he tried to be different playing a sardar, but unfortunately his was one of the three stories the film dealt with and it didn’t work. God Tussi Great Ho turned out to be a poor copy of the Hollywood hit Bruce Almighty, and Marigold, his international venture, where he played a choreographer didn’t impress the audiences. Ghai’s Yuvvraaj was one film where he tried to cash in on his bad boy image but it proved to be a disaster. Baabul was an ordinary fare — seen-it-before types and Jaan-E-Mann was high on technique but low on script power. If you compare some of Salman’s hits like Partner, Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya and No Entry — not only have they been comedies, but they don’t really mark a shift in his style. On the contrary his juniors like Saif Ali Khan and Hrithik Roshan have consolidated their positions in the industry by portraying characters that are fresh.
A disciplinary approach, as Adarsh says, has also worked wonders for the other two Khans. “Look at the way Shah Rukh and Aamir promote their films. What does Salman do?” In fact it is this laidback attitude that has gone against Salman. And add to that, his off-screen image of a problem child which has isolated him from some of the biggies (read Yash Raj Films and Johars). Incidentally, the rumour was that Yash Raj had offered him Chak De! India first, but he refused and it went to SRK. It’s true that Salman still has his admirers and is considered as a man with a big heart by many in the industry. But when so much is at stake, one can’t really go by emotions. His fights with stars like John Abraham, Shahid Kapur, Priyanka Chopra and tension with the Bachchan family do not augur well for him. At a time when the industry is buzzing with the entry of much younger stars like Hrithik, Abhishek Bachchan, Neil Nitin Mukesh, John and Ranbir Kapoor, one has to come out with something extraordinary that leaves a long-lasting impression on people’s minds. The competition is getting tougher.
The Akshay factor
There is no denying the fact that the three biggest names in the industry at this point of time are Shah Rukh, Aamir and Akshay Kumar. It might not be wrong to say that Akki has taken Salman’s place if we go by his consistent showing over the last five-six years. Not only has he given super- hits like Garam Masala, Heyy Babyy, Namastey London, Welcome and Singh Is Kinng, to mention a few, he also stole the show from Salman twice — in films like Mujhse Shaadi Karogi in 2004 and Jaan-E-Mann in 2006. He has risen in the ranks and has become a safe box-office bet despite his latest release Chandni Chowk To China not doing well. “One learns from his mistakes and Akshay is no exception. A successful star is one who constantly grows and the problem with Salman is that he refuses to learn,” says a filmmaker on condition of anonymity. Salman’s fans might say that most of Akshay’s hits have been comedies, but even within that format, one has come across some great scripts and more importantly Akshay has carried them on his own shoulders. “And this is the reason why even in multi-starrers, Akshay has stood apart,” says the filmmaker. In fact this was the case with Salman once upon a time. He created his own mark despite the presence of big names in films like Andaaz Apna Apna (with Aamir), Karan Arjun, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Hum Tumhare Hai Sanam (with Shah Rukh) and Baghban (with Amitabh Bachchan). But that aura seems to be on its way out while, thanks to Akshay’s star status and diplomatic choice of films, he is giving even SRK and Aamir a run for their money.
Is it the end of the road for Salman?
Yes and no. And it depends totally on Salman himself. If he thinks he is still the ‘biggest’ star in the country, his days in the top bracket could be numbered. Mind you he is not getting any younger. He is in his 40s. “Salman needs to pull up his socks,” as Adarsh points out. An actor who is still held in high esteem by many in the industry has to evolve. The good sign is that despite his poor run, Salman still manages to bag plum projects — his forthcoming films include Vipul Shah’s London Dreams, Anil Sharma’s Veer (which happens to be penned by Salman himself) and his home production Main Aur Mrs Khanna. This goes on to show that the industry still has faith in him and his magic. And he has his supporters in the industry. Says Shah, “It is unfair to write him off just because he is passing through a lean phase. To me he is still a big star and will always be so. It’s a question of one hit and the tables will turn. Let’s not read too much into it.” Adds film critic Deepa Gahlot, “The balance of power shifts according to hits. Tomorrow if he delivers a hit, he will be back in the running.” This adds to Salman’s responsibilities. It’s payback time for Salman. With people still ready to bank on him, he has to justify that trust. Or else, he might go the Rajesh Khanna way. The yesteryear megastar was thrown into oblivion because he took his stardom for granted. He is busy doing C-grade films while his one-time rival Big B still gets powerful roles. We all know that Salman has this ability to bounce back, but will he this time around? Over to you Sallu!
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