Salman Khan’s super-stardom at par with Amitabh Bachchan & Rajesh Khanna?

With SULTAN releasing this Eid and achieving the 100 crore mark in mere 3 days, one just can’t deny that Salman Khan mania is in no way decreasing and is rather reaching new heights.

He is a classic example of a superstar because people throughout the country go spend money to watch a movie just because HE is in it.

There was a time when Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan enjoyed 50-50 of the popularity in India but ever since Salman ‘s Dabangg in 2010, things have changed.

Salman has now surpassed SRK, the man has the ability to pull average script movies and turn them into blockbusters of all time.There is no one bigger than Salman when it comes to mass appeal, he’s loved all over for not just being a Bollywood actor but also for who he is off screen. He’s known for his looks, his physique, he's the guy who started the trend of body-building in Bollywood, he is quite like a guy next door who is vulnerable and makes mistakes but also has a heart of gold and does a lot of charity and helps needy people with his 'being human' NGO.

But my question here is, has Salman reached the level of superstardom that was enjoyed by Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan during their time?

Rajesh Khanna

A mere smile of this supernova caused women to faint, slash their wrists and send him letters written in blood. He would be mobbed during public appearances as fans kissed his car, which would be covered with lipstick marks. 

His hairstyle was a fashion statement, his typical style of dialogue delivery and his charming smile were admired by everyone.He had 15 consecutive solo super hit films  between 1969 and 1972, which is still an unbroken record in Indian film history.

Amitabh Bachchan

Terrific dialogue delivery, great coming timing, inherited intellect, adaptability, charisma EQUALS Amitabh Bachchan.No star has as many hits and super-hits to his credit as Amitabh Bachchan. Of the over 100 films in which he had full-length roles, more than 35 films have been either hits or super-hits.

He is the only actor who gave at least one hit every year for 14 consecutive years - from 1972 to 1985. It is difficult for actors to hold a position in the industry on their own for even ten years, but Amitabh Bachchan ruled the box-office for over two decades as the undisputed King of movies with no close second.

A proof of his major fan following was seen when he got injured on the sets of Coolie while fuming a fight sequence. He was rushed to the hospital immediately and doctors said his condition was life threatening. His fans were devastated. They feared for him and all across the country people prayed that God would return their icon to them. The prayers got answered and he made a stable recovery.

Till date Amitabh thanks his fans for those wishes and considers Aug 2 (the day he returned home after injury) as the date of his rebirth.

Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan were superstars during a time when there was no electronic media or social media like Facebook or Twitter for self-promotion.It is a win in itself that Salman Khan has reached a stage where a comparison like this is made. 

It’ll be interesting to see what happens in the coming years, will there be a competition for Salman ? Or Will he continue ruling the box office the way he is doing right now.



Written by Vipra Chadha
I don't know where I'm going but that's never stopped me before.