What explains Salman Khan's flop show?

Salman Khan sports a new look in his latest film.

After a gap of four years, Salman Khan is back on the big screens with ‘Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan’ (KKBKKJ). It is a Hindi remake of the Tamil hit film ‘Veeram’ starring Ajith Kumar and Tamannaah. At first glance, the film has all the ingredients of a regular Salman Khan potboiler — there is a villain, a pretty damsel and three ‘brothers’ who are not even Salman’s own.

Salman sports a new look with long hair and a full beard. Some of the scenes refer to earlier hits of the actor. Bhagyashree, heroine in his debut film ‘Maine Pyaar Kiya’, makes an appearance with the film’s theme music playing in the background. Salman tries very hard to make an impact but it simply does not work because most of the film comes across as disjointed. It has a loose plot and it is bogged down by too many songs. It all comes apart. There’s no denying that age is not on his side, and another reason is that he is now contending with a resurgent south Indian film industry. Some films from the south have delivered better stories and are visually more impressive — ‘Kantara’, ‘’RRR’, ‘Pushpa’, ‘KGF’ come to mind.

Superstar status

Salman shot to fame with his 1989 blockbuster ‘Maine Pyaar Kiya’, and it was a film that actually made him a superstar and established him as a bankable actor. Along with Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan, he was one of the key figures who turned around the Hindi film industry in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Joint family stories

Some of his other biggest hits in the ’80s and ’90s were ‘Hum Aapke Hain Kaun’ and ‘Hum Saath Saath Hain’ in which the plot focused on the Indian joint family. Salman’s characters, usually named Prem, portrayed idealism, and sacrifice for the family. The backdrop was the economic liberalisation of India which, along with the excitement, must have triggered some anxious moments as well. The 2000s witnessed a change in Salman’s choice of roles — there was a proclivity for comedy (successful films include ‘Partner’ and ‘No Entry’) but which sometimes were not well received. A film such as ‘Hello Brother’ proved a box office dud possibly because the presentation was not up to the mark and the hero’s role a bit silly. At the same time, films such as ‘Garv’ and ‘Chori Chori Chupke Chupke’ tried to address more serious themes such as nationalism and surrogacy.

Turning point

Salman’s fortunes at the box office turned with the 2009 film ‘Wanted’ in which he reinvented himself as an action hero. ‘Dabangg’ followed suit. Such roles suited Salman’s bad boy image and appealed to his fans. They continue to be relevant to the actor’s career because they defined him not only as an actor but as someone to reckon with, augmenting his celebrity status as well.

However, several other films such as ‘Tubelight’ failed to take off because they did not in any way match what his fans expected from him. It failed at the box office too, possibly because the presentation was not up to the mark and the leading hero’s role a tad bit silly. Salman failed to carry off the man-child role, which required a degree of complexity, although the premise of the story was promising.

In recent years

More recently, ‘Radhe’ (2021), which was released on OTT, did not fare well and the question of Salman Khan’s relevance came into question. It was released in the middle of the Covid crisis on a platform few of his loyalists had access to. That it did not release in the theatres might have had an impact on its box office fortunes. The music was uninspiring, the
writing was poor, and Salman was unable to change his acting style, making it a sure-fire
recipe for disaster. Both Aamir and Shah Rukh have delivered flops, but Salman’s failures seemed more dramatic.

Perhaps it is time again for Salman to reinvent himself yet again and not simply through his get-up. He must be inventive in terms of acting as well. Several of his detractors say he repeats himself and has a wooden expression. However, a few of his films bely this statement. In the past, he has been one of Bollywood’s most successful superstars but the entry of younger heroes, a changing demography, the rise of OTT, and the rise of the south Indian industry have posed challenges. Is it time for him to try less
grandiose and more grounded roles?