Bollywood's Bad Boy

In Bollywood, the words Salman and scandal often go together. Much of the drama stems from his relationship with ex-girlfriend, Aishwarya Rai, who has accused the actor of abusing her. Rai's neighbors complained that Salman would come to her home late at night and pound on her door for hours, demanding that she'd talk to him. The Rais made an official complaint to the police, accusing Salman of vandalizing their property. Salman rushed onto sets of Aishwarya's films thrice and disrupted filming. In one incident he threw her to the ground in front of witnesses and was forced to leave, but not before he backed his car into Aishwarya's. In another incident, Shah Rukh Khan came to Aishwarya's defense and Salman verbally attacked SRK, which resulted in the two stars not speaking to each other for years. The third incident, again on a SRK movie, Salman's behavior got Aishwarya kicked off the film.

But Salman doesn't need Aishwarya to get into trouble. He's been accused of killing an endangered black buck on protected ground with other co-stars during a film shoot. This case is still pending. Salman also is also accused of killing a man. One night, many believe he was drunk when it happened, he ran over three men sleeping on the road, injuring two and killing the other. He didn't even stop the car to see if they were OK. This case, too, is still pending.

Most recently (a couple weeks ago), a prominent Indian newspaper released tapes recorded in 2001, allegedly from conversations between a drunk Salman and Aishwarya Rai. In them he threatens her to perform in a show for a mafia leader, flaunting his connections with the mob. Salman has denied the voice on the tape is his; Aishwarya claims she doesn't know if it's her voice. The police have taken voice samples of both the actors and are investigating the tapes.

Scandal aside, Salman is not my favorite Bollywood actor because I don't find him convincing on screen. His performances are often silly and over-the-top and lack honest conviction. He is, however, good eye candy, especially when he takes off his shirt--he has one of the best bodies in Bollywood. But Salman seems almost insistent about showing off his upper body in his films, so this too has become a bit of a joke.

You might have the opportunity to see Salman in a film in 2006. He's starring in Marigold: An Adventure in India, a film about a struggling Hollywood actress who finds herself stranded in India and must act in a Bollywood film to help her pay her way home, directed by Willard Carroll and starring Ali Larter (Legally Blonde). Salman will be the first Bollywood hero to star in a role in a Hollywood film. It's an amusing coincidence that Aishwarya was the first Bollywood heroine to star in a Hollywood film in this year's Bride and Prejudice.

My favorite Salman films:
Hum Aapke Hain Koun...! (1994)--with Madhuri Dixit
Karan Arjun (1995)--with SRK and Kajol
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998)--with SRK, Kajol, and Rani Mukherjee
Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999)--with Aishwarya Rai and Ajay Devgan
Chori Chori Chupke Chupke (2001)--with Rani Mukherjee, Preity Zinta

**I must thank BollyWHAT.com's biography page in helping me write this piece. If you'd like to know more about Salman or any of the actors I've written about, please follow the link I provide on this page to BollyWHAT.**

Next up (just for Scott--no, not really): Rani Mukherjee