Vi segnalo l'articolo Salman Khan: The Hit Machine, di Ashish K. Mishra e Shishir Prasad, pubblicato da Forbes India nel numero speciale dell'8 febbraio 2013 dedicato alle 100 celebrità più famose del subcontinente. Nella classifica, Salman si posiziona saldamente al secondo posto, battuto solo dal collega Shah Rukh Khan (clicca qui).
'He is the star who has made masala films hip again. No other actor in the last 30 years has done what Salman Khan has done. He has delivered six superhits in four years, grossing over Rs 850 crore. (...) The transformation of Salman is one the most notable turnaround stories of Indian business. Behind it lies a shift in the way he views his career, philanthropy and the counsel of some wise minds, most notably his father Salim Khan. There is only one thing he hasn’t changed. His cocky but lovable attitude. (...)
The rise of a star
Over the last 40 years, Hindi cinema has had two undisputed matinee idols. The first was Rajesh Khanna. The second is Amitabh Bachchan. The slot fell vacant in 1982, when Bachchan was injured while shooting for Coolie. (...) In 1995, Shah Rukh Khan happened when he did Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, one of the highest grossing Indian films of all times. Till 2003, it was Shah Rukh who reigned at the box office. It has to be said though that a lot of his success came from the overseas market, thanks to his urbane looks and demeanour. (...) If there is one thing that Shah Rukh could not manage, it was to become as big a draw as Bachchan or Khanna in the hinterlands.
All work and no play
It was then that Salman, who had been busy partying and doing some eminently forgettable films, decided to change his ways. He stopped his party-hard ways and improved his work ethics dramatically. It didn’t happen in a day. As his father Salim Khan says, it was only over a period of time that Salman understood that anything good that he wanted to do - charity for instance - would happen only if he was able to succeed as an actor. The first step would be to turn up for shoots on time and select the right films. (...) Around 2002, Salman’s affair with Aishwarya Rai ended. Though he was linked to Katrina Kaif later, people close to him believe that for the last three to four years, Salman has been as single as he can be. The loss in emotional intensity in his personal life has been taken up by his focus on his career. (...) But the bigger challenge was to differentiate himself. Aamir [Khan] is the serious guy. Shah Rukh is the romantic guy. When you need a few bones broken, Ajay Devgan was the man. Salman put it all together. It is reminiscent of the way Bachchan in his heydays offered a bit of everything - romance, action, comedy. Similarly, there is a little bit of Salman-ness in all of his roles. He is cocky, arrogant, but funny too. (...)
Joy of giving
Being Human Foundation was Salman’s idea. The family has always been out to help people, but it was sporadic. In 2007, they decided that they should do it in a more organised way. In 2012, the foundation donated close to Rs 7.5 crore and, in terms of medicine and hospital expenses, helped 2,534 people. (...) All this has been made possible by making Being Human a lifestyle brand. In 2012, Being Human (licensed to Mandhana Industries, a Mumbai-based textile company) had a turnover of about Rs 60 crore. “It has worked so well as it is a combination of fashion, charity and celebrity. Two percent of our sales go to the Foundation,” says Manish Mandhana, managing director of Mandhana Industries. The potential is huge. “Women literally bought small sizes of men’s T-shirts. Finally, we said we need to extend the product line. In March, we are launching both women and kids' wear,” adds Mandhana. Early this month, Being Human opened its flagship, standalone store on Linking Road at Bandra in Mumbai'.
Vedi anche Il fenomeno Salman Khan, 10 dicembre 2021
