Salman Khan (; born 27 December 1965) is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who works primarily in Hindi cinema. In a career spanning over three decades, his awards include two National Film Awards as a film producer, and two Filmfare Awards as an actor. He has acted in over 80 films. He has been cited as one of the most popular and commercially successful actors of Indian cinema, and was included in Forbes lists of the world's highest-paid celebrities in 2015 and 2018. Khan has a large following in India and among the Indian diaspora worldwide. His popularity has been particularly associated with commercially successful Hindi-language films, with his work spanning genres including action, comedy, romance and drama.
Khan began his acting career with a supporting role in Biwi Ho To Aisi (1988), followed by his breakthrough with a leading role in Sooraj Barjatya's romantic drama Maine Pyar Kiya (1989), for which he was awarded the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut. He established himself with other commercially successful films, including Lawrence D'Souza's romantic drama Saajan (1991), Barjatya's family dramas Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994) and Hum Saath-Saath Hain (1999), the action film Karan Arjun (1995) and the comedy Biwi No.1 (1999). This followed a period of decline in romantic comedy, musicals and tragedy drama in the 2000s. Khan resurrected his screen image with the action film Wanted (2009), and achieved greater stardom in the following decade by starring in the top-grossing action films Dabangg (2010), Bodyguard (2011), Ek Tha Tiger (2012), Dabangg 2 (2012), Kick (2014), and Tiger Zinda Hai (2017), and the dramas Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015) and Sultan (2016). This was followed by a series of poorly received films which failed critically and commercially, with the exception of Bharat (2019) and Tiger 3 (2023). Khan has starred in the annual highest-grossing Hindi films of 10 individual years, the highest for any actor.
In addition to his acting career, Khan is a television presenter and promotes humanitarian causes through his charity, Being Human Foundation. He has been hosting the reality show Bigg Boss since 2010. Khan's off-screen life is marred by controversy and legal troubles. In 2015, he was convicted of culpable homicide for a negligent driving case in which he ran over five people with his car, killing one, but his conviction was set aside on appeal. On 5 April 2018, Khan was convicted in a blackbuck poaching case and sentenced to five years imprisonment. On 7 April 2018, he was out on bail while an appeal was ongoing.
Early life and ancestry
Khan is the eldest son of screenwriter Salim Khan (born 24 November 1935) and his first wife Sushila Charak, who adopted the name Salma (born 8 December 1942); they had got married on 18 November 1964. Born to a Muslim father and Hindu mother on 27 December 1965, Salman Khan was brought up in both faiths. In 1981, when Salim married the actress Helen (born 21 November 1938) the children's relationship with their father grew hostile and only recovered years later.
According to Salim, his paternal great-grandparents are Alakozai Pashtuns from Afghanistan who immigrated to Indore State, Indore Residency (now in Madhya Pradesh), British India in the mid-1800s; however, author Jasim Khan in his biography of the actor states that his ancestors belonged to the Akuzai sub-tribe of the Yusufzai Pashtuns from Malakand in the Swat Valley of North-West Frontier Province, British India (present-day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan).: "Superstar Salman Khan is a Pashtun from the Akuzai clan...One has to travel roughly forty-five kilometers from Mingora towards Peshawar to reach the nondescript town of Malakand. This is the place where the forebears of Salman Khan once lived. They belonged to the Akuzai clan of the Pashtun tribe..." His grandfather Abdul Rashid Khan was a Deputy Inspector General of the Indore state who was awarded the Diler Jung award of the Holkar times. Khan's mother is a homemaker, whose father Baldev Singh Charak, a Dogra Rajput, comes from Jammu in Jammu and Kashmir and whose Maratha mother comes from Maharashtra. Khan can also speak Marathi, in addition to Hindi and English. He has two brothers, Arbaaz Khan and Sohail Khan; and two sisters, Alvira Khan Agnihotri, who is married to actor-director Atul Agnihotri, and an adopted sister Arpita, who is married to actor Aayush Sharma.
Khan did his primary schooling at the Scindia School in Fort, Gwalior along with his brother Arbaaz. Later he shifted to St. Stanislaus High School in Bandra, Mumbai, as did his younger brothers Arbaaz and Sohail for their higher secondary education.Salman Khan: From By-Lines to Bhai-Lines. Channel V India. Retrieved 25 May 2010. He attended St. Xavier's College in Mumbai but dropped out.
Career
1988–1991: Debut and breakthrough Salman Khan made his on-screen debut in 1988 with a supporting role in the successful film Biwi Ho To Aisi, which had Rekha in the lead role. The following year, he played the lead in Sooraj Barjatya's romantic musical Maine Pyar Kiya opposite Bhagyashree. The film backed up with chartbuster music went on to become an All Time Blockbuster at the box office and made Khan a star. Sukanya Verma called, "Dil deewana appears first [to] celebrate Khan and Bhagyashree's happily-ever-after aspirations in Maine Pyar Kiya and once again when standard rich versus poor conflicts threaten its realisation." It also won him the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut.
He began the new decade with Deepak Shivdasani's action drama film Baaghi: A Rebel for Love (1990), which he also wrote. Baaghi opened to positive critical reception and was a box office hit. Khan's run continued in 1991 with his solo venture Sanam Bewafa and his parallel lead role in the Sanjay Dutt starrer Saajan, emerging as hits and their soundtracks proving to be two of the best-selling Hindi film albums of that year. His other releases of the year, Kurbaan and Patthar Ke Phool also performed well commercially.
1992–1996: Major success and slump
In 1992, Khan starred in the dark fantasy horror film Suryavanshi, which was a major commercial and critical failure. The film is remembered for Khan's look which was inspired by Thor and He-Man. In 1994, Khan appeared in Rajkumar Santoshi's , co-starring Aamir Khan. At the time of its release, the film was a failure at the box office but has gained a cult status over the years. Later in the year he collaborated with director Sooraj Barjatya in the romance Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! co-starring Madhuri Dixit. During the 1995 awards season, the film won 3 Filmfare Awards for Best Film, Best Director and Best Actress. It also won the National Film Award for being the most popular film of the year. Earning more than () worldwide, the film became the biggest Bollywood hit of the year and the highest-grossing Indian film up until then. It is one of the films on Box Office India's list of "Biggest Blockbusters Ever in Hindi Cinema". In 2006, it was still the fourth-highest grossing Bollywood film ever, according to Box Office India.
In 1995 he starred in Rakesh Roshan's Karan Arjun alongside Shah Rukh Khan. The two played brothers who are reincarnated after being killed by family enemies. His role as Karan earned him a nomination for the 1995 Filmfare Best Actor Award.The Nominations – 1995. In 1996, Khan performed in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's directional debut Khamoshi: The Musical. Despite the massive success of Hum Aapke Hain Koun and Karan Arjun, his solo films entered a consistent slump. Projects like Andaz Apna Apna (1994), Sangdil Sanam (1994), Veergati (1995), Majhdhaar (1996) and Khamoshi (1996) all underperformed at the box office. His career was eventually revitalised by the 1996 film Jeet starring Sunny Deol, which became the third highest-grossing film of the year. Khan has often credited Deol for supporting him during the period. He later reciprocated by supporting Deol's brother, Bobby Deol, with a role in Race 3.
1997–1999: Rise to prominence
He had two releases in 1997: Judwaa and Auzaar. The former was a comedy directed by David Dhawan where he played a dual role of twins separated at birth. Khan worked in five different films in 1998, his first release being the romantic comedy film Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya opposite Kajol, one of the biggest commercial successes of that year. This was followed by the moderately successful drama Jab Pyaar Kisise Hota Hai where Khan played a young man who has to take a child who claims to be his son, under his custody. Khan's performance in the film earned favourable critical review. He also had an extended cameo in Karan Johar's directorial debut, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, which earned him critical acclaim and a second Filmfare Award under the Best Supporting Actor category.
In 1999, Khan starred in three films: Hum Saath-Saath Hain, Biwi No.1, and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam alongside Aishwarya Rai and Ajay Devgan, which earned him another Best Actor nomination at the Filmfare awards. His performance in the film was reviewed favourably, with Sharmila Telikum of Rediff noting, "Salman is endearing. He does tend to ham in the dramatic scenes, but looks very comfortable doing comedy and those romantic scenes."
2000–2009: Sporadic success and career setbacks Despite some big successes, some of Khan's films were critical and commercial Average Grossers during this period, including Chal Mere Bhai (2000), Kahin Pyaar Na Ho Jaaye (2000), Tumko Na Bhool Paayenge (2002), Yehi Hai Jalwa (2002), Garv: Pride & Honour (2004), Phir Milenge (2004), Dil Ne Jise Apna Kahaa (2004), Lucky - No Time for Love (2005), Kyon Ki (2005), Shaadi Karke Phas Gaya Yaar (2006), Jaan-E-Mann (2006), Baabul (2006), Salaam-E-Ishq (2007), God Tussi Great Ho (2008), Yuvvraaj (2008), Main Aurr Mrs. Khanna (2009), London Dreams (2009), and Veer (2010). While films like Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega (2000), Chori Chori Chupke Chupke (2001), Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam (2002), , Tere Naam (2003), and Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya? (2005) were moderately successful, his major hits included Dulhan Hum Le Jayenge (2000), Baghban (2003), Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004), No Entry (2005), Partner (2007), and Wanted (2009).
In 2001, Khan appeared in Chori Chori Chupke Chupke, which addressed the issue of surrogate childbirth. In it, Khan played the role of a rich industrialist who hires a surrogate mother after his wife becomes infertile. Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com wrote that the film had an absurd storyline, but also spontaneous performances from the cast, helping to minimise its other flaws. In 2002, he starred in Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam. For Tere Naam (2003), Taran Adarsh said of him, "Salman Khan is exceptional in a role that fits him to the T. He breathes fire in sequences that demand uneasiness. But beneath the tough exterior lies a vulnerable person and this facet in particular comes to the fore in the latter reels. His emotional outbursts are splendid..." Director Satish Kaushik considered Khan's work in the film to be strong, saying of it, "Salman has given a great performance in the film. He's given an intense, unconventional performance. I believe this is the best performance of Salman's career so far." His career progressed with comedies like Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004) and No Entry (2005).