Prices for Salman Khans Kick skyrocket: Is he Bollywoods Rajinikanth? While critics and those of delicate sensibilities may shudder with distaste, the fact of the matter is Khan is right on track to become Bollywoods Rajinikanth. by Piyasree Dasgupta 10 Jul 10:00 am IST people in various different ways and in different places; pepper with a few one liners. All that changes is the location. So if he is not jumping off rooftops in Iraq, he is punching someone in Mumbai. Does that mean Salman Khan is now some sort of a Bollywood cult - not something critics appreciate, but the masses love? If the amount of money his formulaic, repetitive films make is any proof, yes. It doesnt hurt that Khan embodies the stereotype of machismo that millions of Indian men idolise and secretly (or not-so- secretly) aspire to become. The characters played by him in his recent spate of blockbusters also make a strong case for a class argument. Unlike say the fluffy romances of our times with characters from upper middle class backgrounds, Khans characters in his recent hits are decidedly middle class or lower-middle class. At times, his characters are not even urban. In Dabangg, he plays a corrupt cop who speaks the Hindi of Indias working classes. In Bodyguard, he is just that - a bodyguard, who obviously doesnt come from the social strata of jet- setters. Compare that to the Spain-hopping trio of Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara or Ranbir Kapoors globe-trotting avatar in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. Clearly, Khan, in his biggest hits, speaks the language of millions of Indians outside the mall-hopping, iPhone- flaunting set. He also manages to flaunt a larger-than-life, overtly masculine slant to the banality. Sure, hes hyperbolic, cheesy and often vulgar, but the combination as clicked with audiences. And how! While critics and those of delicate sensibilities may shudder with distaste, the fact of the matter is Khan is right on track to become Bollywoods Rajinikanth. This sets up a cycle of sorts. When his films becoming increasingly expensive for both producers and distributors, everyone stands to gain if the film is a hit and the losses are catastrophic if it doesnt work at the box office. At the moment though, if the money distributors are willing to.... Page < 1 2 3 >
Posted on: Thu, 10 Jul 2014 18:10:50 +0000