The Sultan Of Swag And His Exotic BFF​ Salman Khan And Jacqueline Fernandez

The Besties Talk About Their Special Equation And Their Forthcoming Multi- Starrer Race 3. The Actor, Who Has Transcended Boundaries Of Time – Having Co-starred With Actresses Who Were Toddlers When He Made His Debut – Talks Fondly Of The Evolution Of His Bff, From The Days Of Shooting Kick To This Latest Caper

- Sangeeta Wadhwani

Salman Khan is a vortex of sorts. Hurricanes just happen around him. Or to use super-cheesy bollytags – here is the original #ToofaniTiger, #SupercoolChulbul, the #BlackbuckkaBheem, or the #NewsKaDasKaDum. One can’t help create larger-than-life, Bollywoodised monickers for a man who has clearly arrived closer to his own true potential, truly, in the last decade or so.

Think about it. Yes, he struck gold with his debut in 1988 with Biwi Ho To Aisi, followed by Sooraj Bharjatya’s Maine Pyaar Kiya at age 23. (By this time, future co-stars Sonam Kapoor was cutting her first birthday cake and Sonakshi Sinha was cutting her third birthday cake). Salman, the saucer-eyed rake, hit another high with the wedding epic Hum Aap Ke Hain Kaun – one of Hindi cinema’s biggest blockbusters of all time. The 90s had destiny playing an astute flirt, with ok-ok hits like Baaghi, Saajan, Karan Arjun, Jeet, Judwaa, Biwi No 1, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya. However, possibly due to roles that were trying to resurrect the magic of former hits, things started to nose-dive between 2000 and 2004, picking up only after 2005 and 2009. Salman had a few massively successful films like Partner and No Entry, but most of his films tanked at the BO.

By the time we forward into 2009, entering his 40s, Salman Khan acquired a whole new mature, dabangg persona. He was gym-buffed, soft of heart, sweet of spirit – especially if you asked his leading ladies, the ones he discovered and introduced around. They say men never stop being boys, and so he was always getting into his fair share of trouble. Some pretty serious trouble.