10 Salman Movies We Love

By Roshni Mulchandani and Stacey Yount

Salman Khan is like wine – he only gets better with time. A top actor and reigning in the film fraternity for a decade now, Khan is known for more than just shedding his shirt and making the ladies swoon. Sallu Bhai is known for his kind heart, generosity and abundant amount of controversies. With a fan following of women and men of all ages including locally and abroad, Salman is showing no sign of kissing the glam world goodbye. And why should he? Producers and directors swear by his popularity, friends and co-stars flock to his side in times of need and this hunky Khan always manages to keep the hottest girls linked to his arm. He manages to fit in a variety of roles whether it’s the romantic hero or the tapori goonda; Salman has created a niche in the industry and proves time and again that it is only he that can play the roles he takes on. Salman Khan, guys and dolls, is more than just your average bad boy; he is the king of hearts. With Yuvvraaj on the brink of release this Friday, BollySpice puts the spotlight on the 10 Salman movies we love!

Maine Pyar Kiya
Salman debuted as a solo hero in this 1988 classic love story with the innocent Bhagyashree. He played the role of the mischievous and flirtatious character of Prem and immortalized him forever. This Rajshri production tells the usual run of the mill poor girl, rich boy love story filled with song and dance. Who can ever forget the “kabootar ja ja ja” number. However, the movie put Salman up as one of the top guns as it rose to become a hit and rage with the youngsters. His famous lines “Dosti mein no sorry, no thank you,” along with the “Friend” caps the duo adorned on screen became an 80’s classic accessories. The freshness and innocence in Salman’s performance was immediately appreciated and Sallu became eye candy for the young girls. The critics deemed him a star in the making and with that Salman Khan had arrived in pomp and style.

Saajan
Saajan was one film that proved to the industry that the young Salman Khan can act. He played younger brother to poet Sanjay Dutt and admirer to singer dancer Madhuri Dixit. The music of the movie created waves more than the actual script, and the plot rode on the back of the tunes. The movie has a simple story to tell but the maturity with which Khan enacted the role of the loving younger brother was loved admired by his audiences. The character of Akash rose from being an irresponsible youngster to an adult showed a serious side to Salman’s acting that had never been seen before. This masala movie had comedy, romance, action and drama all incorporated treating you to a festival of good acting and music. And so after that there was no stopping Salman Khan from what was about to begin.

Andaz Apna Apna
A few years later, long hair still intact, Salman was paired with Aamir Khan to star in what became a cult film in the nineties – Andaz Apna Apna. This slapstick madcap flick tells the tale of 2 gold diggers in the form of men, out to get some easy money by marrying a rich girl. The plot grows thicker and madder as the duo is put in sticky and idiotic situations. Salman was spot on as the mumbling scary-poo whose comic timing with Aamir and the rest of the cast shocked audiences. If that wasn’t enough to tickle our funny bones, watching Salman romance Karisma Kapoor in his pajamas kept us in splits. The movie was an instant winner at the box-office and increased Salman’s fan base by many numbers. Even now when the nineties kids think back to comedies they love, Andaz Apna Apna is one cornball film that comes to mind.

Ham Aapke Hain Kaun
Ham Aapke Hain Kaun is probably one of the first films that fans think of when they think of their all time favorite Salman movies. Co-starring opposite Salman was the gorgeous Madhuri Dixit. The story tells of a developing love story between the Prem and Nisha, but sadly tragedy strikes and it shows how the two young people deal with it. Of course mention of the sigh worthy incredible climax must be made. However, I will let you see the film find out what that is - just have tissues nearby! Salman and Madhuri created a magic jodi in this film. Salman again showed his range of not only being able to be a bit goofy and funny but also in the dramatic moments he really made you feel the characters pain. A film loved by all, it was a huge blockbuster when it released and it is considered one of the classics of Hindi cinema.

Khamoshi
Khamoshi had musical in the title and rightly so. The music behind this Manisha Koirala and Salman Khan starrer is still hummed and sung by singers today. Salman plays second fiddle to Koirala’s love for music. Audiences could really identify with the character of a bashful lover who is hated by her deaf parents mainly because he is a Hindu. The movie had no villain except music and Salman managed to deliver one of his finest roles till date as the patient and understanding boyfriend who is willing to wait for his love. While there are many scenes in the movie that stand out performance wise, the climax scene where Salman’s character Raj decodes what his deaf father-in-law is saying stands out as he breaks down in tears. The emotion with which he depicts the role throughout the movie all came down to this one scene and once again Salman proved that there was more to him than just good looks.

Biwi No. 1
The best part in Biwi No. 1 is how Sallu pokes fun at his height while he is out sinfully courting the tall and slender Sushmita Sen. Biwi No. 1 tells the story of a bored husband, played by Salman, who ventures out to have some fun in the form of the previous Miss Universe, Sushmita Sen. He is later caught by his dog and wife (Karisma Kapoor) and then begins her chase to regain her husband. The comic timing is spot on be it with his best bud or his enactment of a husband being caught between his wife and mistress. Salman is fabulous in the movie when he finally realizes that their ain’t nobody like his gharwali, and decides to apologize. He makes a scene which should be full of drama into one full of laughter and fun. And with that, Salman added another successful role to his filmography: the one of a cheating husband.

Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
Directed by the incredible Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the stunning film also starred Aishwarya Rai and Ajay Devgan. The story begins with Salman’s character, Sameer, coming to study classical singing with Aishwarya’s father. A bit of a tumultuous relationship develops between the two but they fall in love. Sadly, they are star-crossed lovers and Salman must leave and go back to Italy. What happens next? Well, you will have to experience that for yourself but watch out for Salman’s amazing acting during the scene at the theater. His performance is so true in those last moments that it reiterates once again what a truly fantastic actor he is. Not only a favorite of ours but a favorite of Bollywood fans everywhere. A brilliant film.

Salaam-E-Ishq
Many of you might be surprised that this is included on our list since it was not a big hit, but it is a list of our favorites, and we feel Salman was wonderful in his role. Just one part of a film that intertwined several relationships, Salman’s story was about an actress, played by Priyanka Chopra, who makes up a boyfriend for publicity. However, things go awry when Salman shows up pretending to be that “boyfriend”. Salman’s performance is subtle but he shows a lot of emotion and their story line is one of the highlights of the film.

Partner
One of the biggest hits of 2007, Partner raked in 30 crore in its first week alone. The film gave us a new jodi, but not the type you are thinking of. The film co-starred Govinda and he and Sallu made a perfect comedy duo. They played off each other brilliantly and they took this laugh riot comedy to an even higher level. Taran Adarsh wrote about Salman’s performance, “Salman performs like never before. Sure, he looks dapper [one compliment he's heard umpteen times], but he packs in a solid punch whenever he's on screen. His fans will only multiply with this film.” This film showed off Salman’s comic flair and proved once again that he can deliver in any avatar!

Hereos
Like in Salaam-E-Ishq, Salman’s character was seen in only one part of this multi- storied film. However, it was as our reviewer put it was “the one that shined the brightest”. Starring opposite Salman was the amazing Preity Zinta and the two brought wonderful heartfelt performances to the screen. The film has been praised by audiences and critics a like, with Salman’s performance along with Preity being singled out. Whether the solo hero or just a part of a bigger story, Salman always shows his acting prowess and that he still has that indefinable star quality on screen.

As you can see the hunkstar not only is fantastic in comedy but in drama as well and he always looks fab doing it! Of course there are many more great performances we could have included on this list. We might not have picked yours, but to us, these are aces in Salman’s fabulous career. We will have to wait and watch to see if his performance in Yuvvraaj would make the list have to be called 11 Salman Films We Love! Yuvvraaj opens on November 21st and co-stars Katrina Kaif, Anil Kapoor and Zayed Khan. Be sure to check it out!