Salman Khan Turns 61 on December 27, and the Maine Pyar Kiya Boy Is Still a Box Office BrandSalman Khan turns 61 on December 27. A look at his career, from Maine Pyar Kiya to Bajrangi Bhaijaan, and why his Eid releases still matter.salman-khan-61st-birthday-career-maine-pyar-kiya-bajrangi-bhaijaan

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Salman Khan turns 61 on December 27, and I find it a little hard to believe, because his screen image has stayed so constant. He was born in Indore in 1965, the eldest son of the screenwriter Salim Khan, who wrote many of the 1970s hits as half of the pair Salim-Javed. That gave him a head start, but he still had to earn his audience.

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He made his debut in a supporting role in Biwi Ho To Aisi in 1988, and then became a star with Maine Pyar Kiya in 1989, a romantic film that made him a youth favourite. Through the 1990s he played the lover in films like Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, before a different kind of image, the strong, protective action hero, took over.

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That second phase began with Dabangg in 2010 and went through Bodyguard, Ek Tha Tiger, Bajrangi Bhaijaan in 2015 and Sultan in 2016, with Tiger Zinda Hai in 2017. Eid became his release window, and a Salman film on Eid was one of the safest bets in the industry for years.

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He has also been the host of Bigg Boss since 2010, which kept him in front of audiences in a different way, and he is known for a large charitable foundation, Being Human. His recent films have had a more mixed reception, and I think the interesting question is what he does next.

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Which Salman Khan film do you like best, and which one do you think is overrated? I would pick Bajrangi Bhaijaan as his most heartfelt, and I am ready for disagreement.