Salman Khan turns 60: Filmmakers reveal what makes him the Dabangg superstar

As Salman Khan turns 60 today, four filmmakers with whom he has delivered some of his biggest hits- speak about four different aspects they have explored with him onscreen- Emotion, action, comedy and romance. His directors decode what makes him a complete star.

Filmmakers don’t tap into bhai’s emotional side because of his large persona- Ali Abbas Zafar

Salman sir, or bhai as I call him, is a gifted actor and as I always say, very underutilised. He has such a large persona because of which filmmakers dont tap into his emotional side, which is his core as a human being. I’ve done three films with him that have explored emotions- Sultan where he’s macho but also vulnerable and down and out in life. The kind of emotional depth he showed in that film was phenomenal. Tiger Zinda Hai was a hostage drama- that explored the charisma which his character Tiger holds but also shows the character in a humane way. Then there’s the range that he showed in Bharat was from age 21 to 65. I’d like to mention the scene where he finds out Tabu is his sister, that was somethingelse. My favourite part of him pulling off every character is the kind of effort he puts in without letting you realise he is preparing. Offscreen he taught me not to take life or myself too seriously.

International level action was a new territory for him- Kabir Khan

Ek Tha Tiger was just the third film of my career, and here I was directing this mega star Salman. International level action was a new territory for him. I had to stop him from going overboard; other times he was pulling me up to add more to the action. Ultimately a certain energy formed between us and the film turned out to be a blockbuster. After we had just delivered a big action film, Ek Tha Tiger, conventional wisdom says one must repeat what is successful. But for me, Bajrangi Bhaijaan was always Salman, and when I narrated the script, he resonated with the political angle and jumped on it. His love for children came across in the film, and it became his first production.

He had to make the audience laugh, not hate him- Anees Bazmee

For No Entry I just gave him a ten minute narration and he got the complete idea of the character, that he becomes an inspiration for his friends ultimately ruining their lives. The idea was to portray a funny, badmaash character, that the audience should laugh at and not hate him even though his deeds were villainous. He caught the right andaaz where he came across as lovable on screen though his actions in the film were deplorable. In Ready too he had to bring a certain innocence to the role and get the comic timing right which he did fabulously. As a writer I can’t think of any character that bhai cannot pull off.

A romantic image was created through our collaboration- Sooraj Barjatya

The popularity of the name Prem is largely due to Salman bhai’s characters. Because of Maine Pyar Kiya, Hum Aapke Hain Koun and Hum Saath-Saath Hain, the character of Prem became so iconic. I always write the scenes in a straightforward manner and he adds his naughtiness or his own lovable flavour which is a part of his onscreen appeal. The image of the family boy always full of love—that romantic image, the perfect romantic hero, was created through our collaboration.