You can't tell where you'll bump into a
Salman Khan fan. Particularly in Mumbai,
you could encounter a face glazed with
shiny admiration at the mention of 'Bhai'
absolutely anywhere. Khan's enormous
popularity comes from the persona that has come together despite his
career. It's
a little silly to call Khan an actor because
he doesn't act. Neither can one call him a
philanthropist because the NGO he runs,
Being Human, is more of a lifestyle brand
than a not-for-profit outfit. On Twitter, he describes himself as a
humanitarian,
which is definitely the most cheered-for
aspect of Khan's persona.
Outside his modest apartment in Bandra,
you'll always find a crowd of men,
looking up at his balcony and waiting for
a glimpse of him, as though Khan is the
pope or Juliet (or both). From the
manicurist to the millionaire's heir, everyone in Mumbai seems to know Khan
as the man with a big heart. Nothing
stains this reputation; not the rumours of
violence against girlfriends or
connections with the underworld, not
even murder charges. Whatever charges are levelled against Khan, the defence is
the same: for all his faults, he's a good
man. "Dil ka bahut acchha hai Bhai," said
a young man who claims to have done
Khan's manicures till a few years ago.
"You won't find another man in the industry who helps the little guy as much
as Salman," said someone who knows
Khan and worked with him briefly. "He's
popular because of this. This is how he
connects. People sense his intrinsic
goodness."
In recent times, the filmi character that
has made the most impact among
audiences is arguably Khan as Chulbul
Pandey, the fearless cop in the Dabangg
series. It's ironic that Chulbul Pandey
cemented Khan's superstar status because Khan's relationship with the
police force is, to put it mildly, eventful.
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