SALMAN KHAN

Actor, philanthropist

During any film conversation, his name crops up as one of the biggest stars of Indian cinema. Salman Khan debuted in Bollywood in 1988 and his success story is no less dramatic than that of a typical masala flick.

In spite of controversies and criticisms, the eldest son of veteran screenwriter Salim Khan remains one of the most commercially successful, respected and sought after stars in the industry. In the past 28 years, Salman has grown not just as an actor.

He has established himself as a successful producer and television personality. His films have kept the box-office register ringing, with him being the only actor to star in the highest-grossing Hindi films in nine separate years. In August 2017, Khan was on the Forbes list of World’s Highest-paid Entertainers. That is just his reel side. There is also the do-gooder Salman. Known to go out of his way to help friends, colleagues and sometimes even strangers, the industry unanimously vouches for his “heart of gold”.

Beyond the 70mm and the ‘film family’, there’s the good samaritan Salman. Like in 2012, when Khan offered to pay Rs 40 lakh to release 400 prisoners from 63 jails in Uttar Pradesh through his NGO.

The prisoners had completed their terms, but were unable to pay fines for their charges owing to financial troubles.