Salman Khan’s birthday today

Today is the 52th birthday of Bollywood superstar, producer, television personality, singer and philanthropist Salman Khan.

Referred to in the media as the "The Tiger of Bollywood", "Blockbuster Khan", "Box-office King", he is popularly called as "Bhaijaan" and "Sallu" by his fans.

In a film career spanning more than twenty five years, Khan has received numerous awards, including two National Film Awards as a producer, and two Filmfare Awards as an actor.

Described by the CNN as one of the world`s biggest stars, he has a significant following in Asia and the Indian diaspora worldwide, and is cited in the media as one of the most popular and commercially successful actors of Indian cinema. In terms of audience size and income, he has been described as one of the most successful film stars in the world.

The son of screenwriter Salim, Khan began his acting career with a supporting role in Biwi Ho To Aisi (1988) and achieved breakthrough with a leading role in his next release-Sooraj Barjatya`s romance Maine Pyar Kiya (1989).

Khan went on to establish himself in Bollywood in the 1990s with roles in several top-grossing productions, including the romantic drama Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994), the action thriller Karan Arjun (1995), the comedy Biwi No.1 (1999), and the family drama Hum Saath-Saath Hain (1999).

For his role in Karan Johar`s romantic drama Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Khan was awarded the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. After a brief period of decline in the 2000s, Khan achieved greater stardom in the 2010s by playing the lead role in several successful action films, including Dabangg (2010), Bodyguard (2011), Ek Tha Tiger (2012), Kick (2014), Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015) and Sultan (2016) all rank among the highest-grossing Bollywood films of all time.

He is the only actor to star in the highest-grossing Bollywood films of nine separate years. Khan topped Forbes India charts for 2014, in terms of both fame and revenues. According to the Forbes 2015 list of `Celebrity 100 : The World`s Top-Paid Entertainers 2015`, Khan was the highest ranked Indian in 71st rank with earnings of $33.5 million.

In addition to his acting career, Khan is a stage performer and an active humanitarian through his charity non-profit organisation, Being Human. Khan`s off-screen life is marred by controversy and legal troubles. His tumultuous relationship with Aishwarya Rai, his hunting of endangered species, and a negligent driving case in which he ran over five people with his car, killing one, have been extensively covered by the Indian media. For the last of these, Khan was sentenced to five years` imprisonment in 2015, but was later acquitted.

Source: Indian Express