Abdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan is the eldest son of celebrated screenwriter Salim Khan and his first wife Salma Khan (maiden name Sushila Charak). His stepmother is Helen, a famous yesteryear Bollywood actress, who has co-starred with him in Khamoshi: The Musical (1996) and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999). He has two brothers, Arbaaz Khan and Sohail Khan, and two sisters, Alvira and Arpita. Alvira is married to actor/director Atul Agnihotri.
Khan is a dedicated bodybuilder. He trains everyday and is famous for taking off his shirt in movies and stage shows alike. In 2004, he was voted 7th best-looking man in the World and the best looking man in India by People magazine, U.S. Khan has been involved in several charities during his career.
Despite being romantically linked with several actresses, and having relationships with ex-girlfriends Aishwarya Rai, Somy Ali and Sangeeta Bijlani, Khan is frequently featured by Indian media as Bollywoods most eligible bachelor. He has been dating model-turned-actress Katrina Kaif since 2003.
Salman Khan made his acting debut with the film Biwi Ho To Aisi (1988), had his first commercial success with the blockbuster Maine Pyar Kiya (1989), and won a Filmfare Best Male Debut Award for his performance.
1990 saw only one film release starring Khan, Baaghi, co-starring alongside southern actress Nagma. The film was a box office success and was followed by another successful year in 1991 when he starred in three hit films, Patthar Ke Phool, Sanam Bewafa and Saajan.Despite these tremendous early box office successes, all of his 1992-1993 releases resulted in box office failures.
Khan clawed back his previous success in 1994 with his second collaboration with director Sooraj Barjatya in the romance Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, co-starring Madhuri Dixit. This film was the biggest hit of that year, and turned out to be one of Bollywoods highest grossing films ever, becoming the fourth highest earner of all time.Apart from being a commercial success, the film was widely acclaimed and Khan was praised for his performance, earning his second nomination for Best Actor at the Filmfare. Three more films released that year featured Khan, none of which making a significant impact on the box-office. He did however win praise for his performance in Andaz Apna Apna, alongside co-star Aamir Khan, which has gained a cult status since its release. In 1995 he cemented his success with Rakesh Roshans blockbuster Karan Arjun, co-starring alongside Shahrukh Khan.The film was the second biggest hit of the year, and his role of Karan once again put his name among the nominees for the Best Actor award at the Filmfare, which was eventually won by his Karan Arjun co-star Shahrukh Khan.
1996 was followed by two successes. The first one being Sanjay Leela Bhansalis directional debut Khamoshi: The Musical, co-starring Manisha Koirala, Nana Patekar and Seema Biswas. Though a box office failure, the film was critically acclaimed. He next starred alongside Sunny Deol and Karisma Kapoor in Raj Kanwars action hit Jeet.
He had only two releases in 1997: Judwaa and Auzaar. The former was a comedy directed by David Dhawan co-starring Karisma Kapoor, where he played a dual role of twins separated at birth. The film was a box office hit. The latter, co-starring Shilpa Shetty failed to do well, but developed a cult following after its video release.
Khan worked in five different films in 1998, his first release being the comedy Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya opposite Kajol, one of the biggest commercial successes of that year. This was followed by successful drama Jab Pyaar Kisise Hota Hai.Khan played a young man who has to take a child who claims to be his son, under his custody. Khans performance in the film earned him several positive notices and favourable reviews from critics. He rounded of the year with Karan Johars directorial debut, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Co-starring alongside Shahrukh Khan and Kajol, he had only an extended cameo playing the role of Aman. However, it eventually turned out beneficial to him, as his performance earned him his second Filmfare Award under the Best Supporting Actor category.
In 1999, Khan starred in three hit films: Hum Saath-Saath Hain: We Stand United, which reunited him with Sooraj Barjatya for the third time; Biwi No.1, which became the top grossing film that year; and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, which was a major critical success, and earned him another Best Actor nomination at the Filmfare. In 2000, Khan acted in six films, most of which failed critically and commercially, except for the two moderately successful films, Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega and Chori Chori Chupke Chupke, both of which co-starred Rani Mukerji and Preity Zinta. His performance in Chori Chori Chupke Chupke, the release of which was delayed until 2001, was received well. The film was one of the first Bollywood movies to handle the issue of surrogate childbirth; Khan played the role of a rich industrialist, who hires a surrogate mother after his wife becomes infertile. Critics noted his turn towards a more serious role, which reportedly had more substance in comparison to his previous roles.In 2002 he starred in the delayed release Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam which was semi-hit at the box office.
Khans following releases failed at the box office until he made a comeback in 2003 with Tere Naam. The film was a major earner and his performance was praised by critics, with film critic Taran Adarsh noting, "Salman Khan is exceptional in a role that fits him to the T. He breathes fire in sequences that demand uneasiness. But beneath the tough exterior lies a vulnerable person and this facet in particular comes to the fore in the latter reels. His emotional outbursts are splendid..."He subsequently continued his success at the box office, with comedies like Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004) and No Entry (2005).2006 was an unsuccessful year for him when Jaan-E-Mann and Baabul both failed to do well at the box office.
Khan started 2007 with the ensemble film Salaam E Ishq which failed to do well at the box office. His next release Partner did very well at the box office, receiving a blockbuster verdict.He next appeared in his first Hollywood movie, Marigold: An Adventure in India opposite American actress Ali Larter. Telling the love story of an Indian man and an American woman, the film was a major failure, both commercially and critically.
In 2008 Khan made his debut on the small screen with the game show, Dus Ka Dum based on the international show The Power of 10.
On October 11, 2007, Khan accepted an offer from Madame Tussauds wax museum in London to have a wax replica made of himself. His life-size wax figure was finally installed there on January 15, 2008, making him the fourth Indian actor to have been replicated as a wax statue in the museum.
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