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India, Sept. 1 -- With Ek Tha Tiger collecting over Rs 200 crore at the box office, he has catapulted the Hindi film industry into the mega-crore zone, demolishing all sense of existing commercial logic and records. Rinku Ghosh tries to demystify the phenomenon called Salman Khan
There's almost something of a Tom and Jerryish stretch about a damsel holding on to the straps of Salman Khan's hawaii chappals on the edge of a snow-covered cliff and he pulling her up easily with a supermannish sweep. Except he doesn't come with supernatural powers. He is dressed like a motley fool in Bermudas, pullover and skis on flip-flops. In fact, all he does is put his best foot forward, that, too, one with pink straps, overturning all knightly associations. Appreciatively enough, he even admits to the stupidity of the comic book logic. "Yeh kuch zyadaa hi ho gaya (This is just too much)," he says, adding "but you can still rely on the durability of this brand." Yes, he may be selling the moon but he's grounded enough to admit that his footwear would work quite well on earth.
That in essence sums up the phenomenon that is Salman Khan, the one man who has catapulted the Hindi film industry in the last five years into the mega-crore zone, demolishing all sense of existing commercial logic and records, restoring the credibility of the masala film and allowing enough spillover for everybody to feast on. No wonder, the one-man economy commands a loyal following that has made him larger-than-life. Yes, he can sell something as discardable as a flip-flop because he values the dignity of the common man's well-worn efforts on the streets of a rain-washed Mumbai. Yes the girls fall for him because he is their Adonis, he dares to wear pink because he is a metrosexual, he laughs at his own tomfoolery, shattering the glass wall that separates the star from the commoner. He is both Man and Superman.
Yes, he is the Khan of Bollywood, different from the other three. Aamir is the crafty thinker-activist, Shah Rukh is new India and drawing-room polished while Saif's elitism and refinement as an actor make him almost a club member on vacation. Salman is the man...