The Phenomenon of Salman Khan
He arrived with a
*BANG* with Maine Pyar Kiya in 1989 -- not only an All Time
Blockbuster, not only the biggest hit of the year, but the biggest
hit of the decade (1980 - 1989). The whole nation declared, “Maine
Pyar Kiya” to its newest star sensation.
He followed that
up with a string of hits and superhits and biggest hit of the year as
he cemented his enduring bond with the audience. Such a pace
couldn't be kept up forever, and a slightly low period followed.
He ended that with
another *BANG* with Hum Aapke Hain Kaun in 1994 – not only another
All Time Blockbuster, not only the biggest hit of the year again, but
another biggest hit of the decade (1990-1999). The film is
noteworthy for bringing back the family audience to the theaters, and
being the first Hindi film to break into the UK top ten box office
collections. It still remains the second highest grossing film in
Hindi film history, second only to Sholay. While it wasn't the audience's "Pehla pehla pyaar" (since they already fell in love with him in MPK), it was certainly a rediscovery of exactly who he was to them. He ended the decade with
the three biggest of the year in 1999.
The new millennium
saw more hits and even a blockbuster, but it wasn't till 2010 that
Salman once more came back with a *BANG* to silence his critics, in
another All Time Block Buster, proving once again that he is the
Dabangg Khan who fears no naysayers.
Will he get his fourth All Time Blockbuster next week as he roars onto our screens with another *BANG*?
We shall see.
It is the tradition of Indian films that the first song illustrates the character of the protagonist. Since this is the first post of this blog on Salman Khan, what better way to introduce the impact of this phenomenon than with this song?
