Folks, if there’s one Bollywood star whose movies unfailingly guarantee disaster lately at the U.S. box office, it’s Salman Khan.
The hopeless actor is the kiss of death at the box office, a nightmare for the audience and misery for the Bollywood producers and distributors.
Over the last few years, Salman Khan has amassed a dubious record vis-a-vis his Bollywood peers like Akshay Kumar, Shahrukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Hrithik Roshan et al.
You see, Salman Khan’s leading peers have left this fading star far behind in the high-stakes Bollywood entertainment arena.
Salman Khan’s poor U.S. box office numbers makes it clear that he’s the least loved among the major Indian stars by the audience here.
Hey, even Bollywood bachchas (kids) like Shahid Kapoor, Ranbir Kapoor and Abhishek Bachchan are way ahead of Salman Khan. Now, isn’t that a mighty shame?
Criminal Khan
Salman Khan is also a criminal, having been convicted by an Indian court for poaching.
Salman also has another criminal case involving an alleged hit-and-run in which one man died and four were injured pending against him. And this whacko ran away from the scene of the deadly accident.
Think we’re exaggerating Salman Khan’s failures? No, we ain’t.
Look at the U.S. box office numbers for Salman Khan vs that of other Bollwood stars for some recent Hindi films and you see the tragedy that Salman Khan has inflicted on the industry:
Salman Khan is invariably at the bottom of the pile.
No surprise here, eh.
If Salman Khan had any shame, he’d quit the business or improve his acting skills/pick better directors before his stock plunges any further.
How long before Darsheel Safary overtakes Salman ‘Flop’ Khan in the Bollywood rat-race?
Salman ‘Flop’ Khan vs Rest of Bollywood – Dead on Arrival added by SearchIndia.com on
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Flop masters they are…
btw, http://beta.thehindu.com/arts/movies/article43580.ece?homepage=true
SearchIndia.com Responds:
The Slumdog kids ought to pay more attention to their studies now.
are you going to review Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahaani?
huh huh huh huh huh
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write: are you going to review Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahaani?
Are you kidding?
That Upen Patel thing has as much acting skills as our TV remote.
Further, who’d want to watch/review a movie with a stupid name like
Ajab Mazab Ghazab Hijab blowjaboops Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahaani. 😉Let the word go forth from this time on that henceforth we’ll watch/review Bollywood movies only if they have the following words in the title Ishq, Pyaar, Prem, Mohabat, Dil, Singh, Garam, Namaste, Kabhi, China, Dada, Kambhakkht, Saathi, Dosti, Basanti, Janeman, Dreams, Bhooth, Jeevan, Sarkar, Billu, Raju, Kismat, Chacha, Munna, Izzat, Dushman, Bhai and Maut.
Hei I read about this on Perez too. The parents are just so greedy!! You have already got something, appreciate it, thank your blessings and work harder to take care of your family instead of expecting others to fill your rice bowls and its the kids who end up paying the price!
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write: The parents are just so greedy!
Slumdogs will be slumdogs. 😉
Surprised. Didn’t realize Perez was covering our Bollywood happenings.
I guess even the people are tired of the news about these kids and their families.
Strictly, Boyle need not have paid them anything more than what was specified in the contract.
But the huge popularity/buzz of the movie, followed by media’s intrusion and relentless focus on these kids (and their families) has led to the kids losing their heads.
To be fair, even adults cant handle that sort of thing, let alone impressionable young kids.
Also, success is relative because it brings in a lot of relatives (some of them you thought never existed).
As you have rightly said, they should focus on studying well and then take it from there.
These kids feel that it is only a matter of time before they become big movie stars (this applies to Frieda Pinto, Dev Patel as well).
But a lot of child artists have fallen by the wayside.
A good actor like Kunal Khemu is still struggling.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. You write: Strictly, Boyle need not have paid them anything more than what was specified in the contract.
Obviously, no one told Danny Boyle about the idiom Let sleeping (slum)dogs lie.
2. You write: These kids feel that it is only a matter of time before they become big movie stars (this applies to Frieda Pinto, Dev Patel as well).
We say, no one with the surname Patel ought to be allowed on the film sets.
Look at the sorry track record – Upen Patel, Dev Patel et al.
In the U.S., we’ve confined them Patels behind a motel front-desk or a convenience store counter dispensing Marlboro Lights or a liquor store selling Budlights.
On Salman Khan.
Was never an actor. Was always a star. And stars fade.
Has not evolved, unlike Aamir, Saif.
Even Akshay, SRK havent evolved much, but they do that one thing they know, very properly.
Now on the wrong side of 40, will struggle to keep pace with contemporaries and newcomers.
Also, the present generation audience just cant connect with him.
Boorish attitude and dependent siblings dont help.
Claims to have a good judgement of scripts (being the son of Salim Khan of Salim-Javed duo).
But that appears to be a false claim.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
To all the doubting Thomases, the above comparative numbers are unassailable proof that Salman Khan is finito.
Ajab …… (APKGK) is not bad, as per rediff.com reviewer.
Upen Patel’s role is very short it seems.
Ranbir’s acting more than makes up for other shortcomings.
You might want to watch it.
Jail by Madhur Bhandarkar is highly avoidable (same site says).
Among actors of Gujarati descent, Sanjeev Kumar (Harihar Jariwala) stands, rather lonely, at the very top.
Dev and Upen would do well to learn a thing or two by watching him.
That wont help, of course, since Haribhai was a complete natural.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
On our list of probables this weekend – Iruvar, the Hollywood film How to Marry a Millionaire (Marilyn Monroe, Lauren Bacall and Betty Grable) and Baton Baton Mein (Amol Palekar, Tina Munim, Asrani).
Sorry to move out of the topic, but have you ever realized that your last 20 posts have ‘spoken’ about Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar’s “feats” a gazillion times.
Isn’t it time that you started writing about something else. It is worthless to drive home the same point again and again. Why are there no posts regarding film like those damn rare, once in a blue moon/lifetime, movies!!!!
Why dont you speak about other lesser known, but very good hollywood movies! Why waste megabytes of memory writing about morons whom many of us seldom care for?
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. You write: have you ever realized that your last 20 posts have ‘spoken’ about Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar’s “feats” a gazillion times. Isn’t it time that you started writing about something else
Be careful what you ask for.
In a few minutes, we’ll be uploading the review of Yamudiki Mogudu (later remade in Tamil as Athisaya Piravi with Rajinikanth). 😉
2. BTW, one of our most anticipated movies is The Road (Viggo Mortensen, Kodi McPhee). An Oscar contender.
Hey guys, give ajab prem ki – a try, everyone’s raving about the movie (including the critics).
SearchIndia.com Responds:
They must speak and write a different “English” where you live.
Is this what you call raving?
NDTV: a frustratingly uneven film….some of it is repetitive, and annoyingly tedious.
Rediff: The film is let down by running time, frustrating excursions into melodrama and a very weak soundtrack. The songs here just stop the gags from flowing, and while the melodrama is intentionally over the top and stagey, it frequently jars and there’s a bit too much of it.
Cool, I know the result and I can already visualize the words that you are gonna use to “appreciate” the YAMUDIKI MOGUDU film 😀
Haven’t heard of the Road, but being a fan of Science Fiction films, I would love to see atleast the review of one good science fiction film.
In case you desire to start with Sci-Fi genre, kindly start with District-9
Maybe then, you can go into the older sci-fi movies ala James Cameron style (remember the Time Travel Paradox in Terminator – whose logic nobody’s able to comprehend, yet enjoy it).
Try reviewing films like Predator, Aliens, Signs, District-9, Independence Day, and my all-time favorite “Jurassic Park”.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. Here’s some info on The Road.
2. You write: In case you desire to start with Sci-Fi genre, kindly start with District-9
Watched District 9 in a theater three months back. Loved it.
You can find the District 9 review here and a short piece on Aliens here.
The last time you told me that I am addicted to your blog right..
I think you are addicted about Salman whether you like him or not. You cannot ignore him… you are always going to write about him!!
I dont know why you are trying to make the vulnerable visitors of this website read the same things again and again about Salman and Akshay…
If you dont like him just stop writing about him.
The day you stop writing about Salman, I will stop reading your blog. People read your blogs because you write about him and his name is the pull on your website…
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. Sweetie, after looking at the table, wouldn’t even you agree that Salman Khan is a U.S. box office failure.
Sure you do, right? 😉
2. You write: If you dont like him just stop writing about him.
You are wrong.
No, we don’t dislike Sallu, Akki, Abhi or even you for that matter. Life’s too short to fritter it away on hatred.
3. The above post is different, not a repetition at all.
This post is a riposte to those who keep touting the virtues of Salman Khan.
The comparative table (above) proves conclusively that even Bollywood bachchas (kids) like Shahid Kapoor are trouncing this budda Salman Khan in the crucial box office battle.
I am very delighted to hear that you do not hate these people including me. But however, I never blamed or accussed you of hating these people.
I do agree that Salman’s movies are not working in US and numbers are the proof of that and I am not that great fan of US but I am sorry to say that the vocabulary you used in the above article and some of the previous reviews made me and some of the other readers of your blog believe that you are very negative about some movies and individuals.
You start whinning as soon as Salman’s movies are on the horizon. In case of London Dreams you declared that it is going to be a flop even before it was released…
But I am also of the firm opinion that if he works with some good directors with good scripts in hand, he can create magic and be back on the top slot.
Just to let you know I am the cousin on Sanjay Gupta (Producer of Kaante, Aatish, Zinda, etc.) and I have met some of the stars whose films you review. They are good people and Salman for a fact signs half of the films just on his relationship and friendship with the Directors or Producers. If he starts doing commercial films and chooses real good scripts, he can be back with a bang.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. You write: I do agree that Salman’s movies are not working in US and numbers are the proof of that
By God, if ever we heard an understatement this is it.
Salman Khan’s movies are not only just not working in the U.S. They are frigging disasters.
Kids like Ranbir Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor are crushing Salman Khan into the dust.
2. You write: I am sorry to say that the vocabulary you used in the above article and some of the previous reviews made me and some of the other readers of your blog believe that you are very negative about some movies and individuals.
Here on the SI blog, we shy away from hyperbole and strong language. Nor do we encourage negativity about some movies or individuals.
It’s just that we call it like it is.
As for your unfounded, malicious charge of bias, the very notion of bias is foreign to us. BTW, what does the ‘b’ word mean?
3. You write: I am very delighted to hear that you do not hate these people including me.
If you cared to read our other reviews, you’d find us very even-handed in our treatment of all stars.
To be sure, some endear themselves to us by their work and ethics and others distance themselves by their callous indifference to work or by profiting from theft (Akshay Kumar, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan et al).
4. You write: Salman for a fact signs half of the films just on his relationship and friendship with the Directors or Producers
Why would movie-goers give a f*ck about the ‘friendly’ basis or ‘unfriendly’ basis on which Salman Khan signs film contracts with producers/directors.
All that movie-goers care about is that the $12 they fork out for the ticket should be value for money.
It’s a sign of Salman Khan’s vicious hatred for the paying audience that he repeatedly shafts them with one crappy movie after another.
And the audience returns the favor.
The box office numbers (above) clearly reveal the disgust people have for Salman Khan these days.
5. You write: In case of London Dreams you declared that it is going to be a flop even before it was released…
We can’t recall declaring London Dreams a flop before its release.
Our great-great-great-great grandfather had an Indian-sounding name, most definitely did not sound like Nostradamus.
In the case of London Dreams, we went by the opinion of Indian critics and our own experience of Salman Khan’s previous movies here.