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Salman Khan: Living Dangerously
A troubled soul lurks behind the handsome facade of the actor
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Khalid Mohamed
This is intended neither as an attack against nor as a defence for Salman Khan. Rather, the attempt is to understand what makes a show business personality prone to erratic behaviour, displays of violence in public places, drunken phases and now, the shocking incident leading to death and injury, which by no stretch of the most merciful imagination, is pardonable. The knee-jerk reaction is that for the 37-year-old actor, who was asking for trouble and has now got it, is it the end of a career which has been as newsy as it has been controversial?
Clearly Salman Khan needed psychiatric or psychoanalytical treatment from the very beginning. Today, the law needs to be applied to him as it does to every citizen, be it a common man or a celebrity. Right from the start of his career over a decade-and-a-half ago, he has been mentally unstable, given to impulsive and rash behaviour on various fronts --- in the way he has dealt with the women in his life, the media and above all, with himself. That he has been on a collision course, a self-destructive spree, is a conclusion as simple as adding one and one to make two.
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Anyone who has cared to follow the life and career paths of Salman Khan is aware that he’s the eldest of three brothers, who was considered the least likely to succeed. His father, the celebrated scriptwriter Salim Khan, it is believed, was more than exasperated with his son’s immature conduct, before the son joined films, and at one point was about to thrash the living daylights out of him. Salman hid himself in the bathroom and the father broke the door wide open to teach the boy the lesson of his life.
The rod wasn't spared on the son, at least before he made his mark as an actor, becoming the sweetheart of the nation with a roster of such big-time hits as Maine Pyaar Kiya, Hum Aapke Hain Koun...! and Saajan, just to cite a few random examples. The black sheep of the family, in terms of a sheer self-made career, became as pure as driven snow.
The attitude to a 'star' even from his closest family alters dramatically when he shifts from the extreme of a wastrel to someone who carries an adoring public’s seal of approval. Moreover, the Khan family had seen its period of chilling indifference from the industry which now genuflected before its son's stardom.
Salim Khan on breaking up with his writing partner Javed Akhtar had experienced what it means to be shunned out there in the cold. Salman's popularity was a vindication of the father's resilience as it was the son’s triumph against a berating father.
The Khan family, residing in Galaxy Apartments on Bandra seaface (in Mumbai), have continuously maintained an open house, through good times and bad. Although no secrets are kept in the house, an ill-wind has always interrupted the triumphs which have been as shortlived as public memory.
Salim Khan has been a tolerant and then indulgent father. Salman’s mother, Salma, has been a non-interrupting, kindly presence. Brothers Arbaaz and Sohail and sister Alvira have been doting on 'bhai' constantly, taking pains to point out that Salman has been misunderstood and misjudged.
Salman is known to be charitable, generous and extremely warm with his fans (he gave up his suite in Malaysia for a fan who couldn’t afford to stay in the hotel) in contrast to his more widely-discussed known acts which range from the brattish to the shocking.
"He's a nice guy, but nuts," is the explanation offered by his friends with the additional warning, "Rub him the wrong way and he'll just cut you off." That his childhood has been far from smooth or idyllic is evident, and his need to make his presence felt manifested in the bare-chested macho swagger, both on and off screen.
Before he made his debut in a forgotten film called Biwi Ho To Aisi, he had already built up those gymnasium muscles and wasn't averse to flaunting a glass of Black Label, right before the eyes of Salim Khan who had probably come to terms with the maxim that boys-will-be-boys.
There is no point hypothesising that if Salman had married his first girlfriend Shaheen Jaffrey, perhaps she would have rooted him to earth while he was in his mid-20s.
The subsequent relationship with Somy Ali became ideal grist for the fanzine mills, topped with the widely reported story about an infuriated Salman emptying a glass of cola on her head in a Juhu restaurant. The relationship with Somy continued on-and-off, and it was rumoured that he would certainly marry her.
Ditto, another long-term affair with Sangeeta Bijlani. The boy obviously needed someone to exorcise his demons but either the women or he were not quite prepared to take the plunge. More's the pity. Perhaps if Salman's parents had intervened decisively to make him 'settle down', things wouldn't have gone the way they have. Allowing freedom is one thing, taking matters up strongly and firmly is another.
No point in blaming anyone actually. Salman Khan appears to have been besotted with Aishwarya Rai ever since the two starred in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. Again, the relationship proved to be turbulent.
Her parents did not approve and he became more mentally unhinged, stalking her at studios, home and public functions. Reportedly, he created a scene outside her house in the Lokhandwala complex (in Mumbai's northwestern suburb of Andheri), disrupted a shooting stint of Rohan Sippy's Kuch Na Kaho at Mehboob Studio (damaging cars and uttering expletives), chased her to the Filmfare Awards function where he started sobbing copiously when she refused to leave the venue with him.
The latest incident on the Khandala-Lonavla ghats was the last straw. Shah Rukh Khan, director Aziz Mirza, choreographer Farah Khan and cinematographer Ashok Mehta had no choice but to pack up the shoot as Salman went wild, tossing off his shirt, banging his head against a car window, fainting, the works. He refused to leave till Aishwarya left with him.
Besides his addled junoon (obsession) with women, Salman Khan is known to have picked up quarrels galore. After he was involved in a scrape with Subhash Ghai at a party, he apologised.
After he picked up a to-do with Ranbir, son of Rishi-Neetu Kapoor, at the Olive restaurant, he apologised. After he disrupted the Shah Rukh Khan shoot, he apologised again and called his colleague and wife over for an armistice, flaring up again at the end of the evening.
The Devdasian intake of Bacardi and Black Label are gratuitous keys to his bouts of temper loss. Instead, he is grossly troubled and yes, also given to irresponsible acts. Other topline stars have got away with similar acts.
Salman Khan's hunt of the black buck in the Rajasthan wilds led to handcuffs and a continuing court case. More: while he was being interrogated during the Chori Chori Chupke Chupke case last year, he behaved tetchily with the inquiring police officers who asked him to stop smoking his Marlboro lights in their presence. Typically after the investigation, he manhandled the paparazzi in the course of the photo-op when he was leaving the Crime Branch headquarters at Mumbai's Crawford Market.
It is common knowledge that Salman used to idolise Sanjay Dutt. Like Dutt, the Khan appears to invite trouble almost masochistically.
He uses cuss words with relish, he can be rude and beyond reason. Still, the point is that his past, early as well as recent, is not in question today. It has been dwelt upon here to illustrate that there could have been check-and-balances (self-imposed as well as guided by his family) which would have prevented the boy-man from hurtling to a precipice of no return. Forget friends. In his orbit, friends are bound to be purely need-based as they are often in show business.
Now, Salman Khan may be shattered and shocked by the tragic incident of Saturday morning. Let the law take its own hands, then, without anyone shedding tears of sympathy or crucifying him with homemade nails.
Here is one script that no one can write except with the ink of justice.
Published with kind courtesy of the Sunday Mid-day
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