Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Salman Khan birthday special to celebrate his top ten movies

Salman Khan birthday special to celebrate his top ten movies

HINDI cinema superstar Salman Khan will celebrate his 56th birthday on December 27 and receive a tidal wave of good wishes from around the world.

Born in 1965, the actor has had an extraordinary career and holds the record for the greatest number of Bollywood films that have been highest grossing of the year.


Eastern Eye decided to do the impossible and put together a watchlist of his top 10 movies, which help to sum up his big-screen journey.

Maine Pyar Kiya hqdefault e1640253786607

Maine Pyar Kiya (1989): After a small supporting role in his debut film Biwi Ho To Aisi (1988), Salman became an overnight superstar with his second film Maine Pyar Kiya. The young love story connected with audiences globally and clocked up huge box office figures, which subsequently resulted in romance being introduced back into Bollywood after nearly two decades dominated by action. The film turned Salman into a pin-up for a new generation and kick-started his amazing journey.

Saajan (1991): The highest grossing Bollywood film of 1991 helped romance hit top gear. The interesting love triangle loosely inspired by French classic Cyrano De Bergerac revolves around a woman in love with a poet who hides his identity, and then mistakes another man for him. The actor stars alongside Madhuri Dixit and Sanjay Dutt in a film filled with love, poetry, and great songs.

Hum Aapke Hain Koun (1994): The actor teamed up with Maine Pyar Kiya director Sooraj Barjatya and Madhuri Dixit for a musical that smashed every record to become the highest grossing Bollywood film in history. The family drama revolves around two individuals falling in love during a big fat Indian wedding. The film became a landmark moment in Hindi cinema history.

Andaz Apna Apna yUuh

Andaz Apna Apna (1994): There have been plenty of occasions where the actor has shown a great comedic flair. Of his hit comedies, including Judwaa (1997), Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004) and Partner (2007), this was his funniest. He stars alongside Aamir Khan, Raveena Tandon and Karisma Kapoor in what is widely regarded as one of the greatest Bollywood comedies ever made. The story of two gold-digging guys vying for the attention of a rich heiress is loaded with laughs.

Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999): Salman Khan starred in the three highest grossing Bollywood films of 1999 and this interesting love triangle was the best. The actor starred alongside Aishwarya Rai and Ajay Devgn in what turned out to be a story of two halves. The female protagonist falls for someone in the first half but finds out the real meaning of love when she marries someone else.

Tere Naam (2003): The actor has starred in Bollywood remakes of hit south Indian films and this romantic drama was perhaps the beginning of that strong association. It also has, arguably, one of his career-best performances in the story of a street thug who falls in love and then goes on a painful journey after having his heart broken. He stars opposite Bhumika Chawla in the remake of Tamil film Sethu (1999).

Dabangg 1

Dabangg (2010): The action-comedy was so popular that it spawned too sequels and gave Salman Khan one of his career defining roles as rule-breaking policeman Chulbul Pandey. The highest grossing film of that year is an escapist action entertainer that contains a little bit of everything, including comedy, action, drama, romance, and a great musical number that had everyone dancing.

Ek Tha Tiger (2012): The highest grossing film of that year kick-started a franchise. The equally good sequel, Tiger Zinda Hai, would clock up the highest numbers in India for that year when it released in 2017. He plays a fearless Indian spy, who is on an important mission and falls for a Pakistani agent, played by Katrina Kaif. There are plenty of eye-catching action set pieces throughout the film and a third instalment is on the way.

Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015): The biggest blockbuster of 2015 is the story of a Hindu man in India trying to reunite a stranded young Muslim girl with her family in Pakistan. One of the best reviewed films the actor has starred in would win a National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, a Filmfare Award for Best Story, and an IIFA award for Best Film.

Sultan (2016): He stars opposite Anushka Sharma in the story of a wrestler who lets success go to his head and in the process loses everything he loves. Years later, he is a broken man and gets an unexpected chance for redemption. The story set across two time periods would become the first wrestling-based drama to become a blockbuster success and was only beaten by Aamir Khan starrer Dangal, which released later the same year to become the highest grossing Bollywood film in history.

More For You

National Trust’s ambitious vision: Reaching beyond boundaries to embrace diversity
Powis Castle in Welshpool, Powys

National Trust’s ambitious vision: Reaching beyond boundaries to embrace diversity

THE National Trust intends taking the organisation beyond its 5.5 million members, who are thought to be mainly white and middle class.

Hilary McGrady, director-general and René Olivieri, chairman of the National Trust, made this pledge at a reception held last Tuesday (26) at the Science Museum. They outlined a long-term strategy, set to be announced in January.

Keep ReadingShow less
Untold journeys of Punjabi women come alive in 'The Valley of Queens'
The poster for The Valley of Queens

Untold journeys of Punjabi women come alive in 'The Valley of Queens'

INSPIRATIONAL stories of Punjabi women who came to the UK in the 1960s and 1970s take centre stage in The Valley of Queens, featuring singing, dancing and stories that have remained unshared – till now.

Written by Kiren Jogi, who is also part of the cast, the play provides an insight into the lives of south Asian women who settled in Sandwell Valley, West Bromwich.

Keep ReadingShow less
‘Majboor’ at 50: Revisiting Amitabh Bachchan’s timeless thriller and its most iconic moments

‘Majboor’ at 50: Revisiting Amitabh Bachchan’s timeless thriller and its most iconic moments

HINDI cinema icon Amitabh Bachchan has an enviable repertoire of blockbusters that defined his superstardom, but among his most underrated gems is the suspenseful drama Majboor.

Released on December 6, 1974, this gripping tale of a terminally ill man who falsely confesses to a murder to secure his family’s future, only to fight for his innocence after being cured, remains a timeless classic.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kani Kusruti: India’s hidden gem shines bright on global screens
Kani Kusruti

Kani Kusruti: India’s hidden gem shines bright on global screens

THIS year, the world discovered one of India’s best-kept secrets, Kani Kusruti.

The acclaimed actress brought depth to successful web serials in multiple languages and delivered impactful performances in two contrasting films that made waves on the international festival circuit.

Keep ReadingShow less
National and Kiln champion diversity with ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ and ‘The Purists’
From 'The Importance of Being Earnest'

National and Kiln champion diversity with ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ and ‘The Purists’

THESE are halcyon days for black theatre audiences, with Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest at the National and The Purists at the Kiln in Kilburn, celebrating diversity.

To get to the Lyttelton Theatre at the National, I travelled on London Overland, which has been freshly christened the “Windrush Line” after the ship that brought immigrants from Jamaica to British shores in 1948.

Keep ReadingShow less