Why Salman Khan Is Unlike Any Other

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Why Salman Khan is a hero for Indians

Salman Khan is the darling of the masses because he is the quintessential Indian man, espousing all the values that a traditional Indian man is supposed to have

Unlike the other Khans, whose films can sometimes be misses, Salman Khan’s films are always blockbusters. Photo: Aniruddha Chowdhury/Mint

The National Commission for Women (NCW) is very upset. Salman Khan, the Bollywood superstar, has not proffered it an apology for making a rape analogy during an interview. That the NCW should have better things to occupy themselves with, like asking for an apology from the member of Rajasthan Commission for Women who took a selfie with a rape victim, is another matter. But while the media and social media is asking for Khan’s head, he has been supported by family and Bollywood friends, and I can pretty much guarantee that audiences will not stay away from his next week’s film release. But why?

He has played all kinds of roles on screen and off it. Unlike another Khan, Shah Rukh, who is called the Badshah of romance, not enough is known about the power of Salman Khan to motivate women who are confined within the rigid walls of convention and patriarchy.

Now, a solo play, ‘Salma Deewani’ by Bhagyashree Tarke, a graduate of Delhi’s premier theatre school National School of Drama, brings alive this little-known facet of Khan. When the lights dim in the hall, the audience is taken into a dream in which the protagonist Salma is dancing to Khan’s songs. When she wakes up, Salma says, “Yaar kitna achha khwab dekh rahi thi main. Sallu aya tha mere khwab mein.”