Salman Khan has been found guilty under all the charges in his 2002 hit-and-run case and has been sentenced to 5 years in prison. Social Media is buzzing with comments and reactions from all over (some stranger than the others) and honestly, it hasn’t really sunk in that we’ll soon be witnessing a bhai-free Bollywood for five whole years. Well, justice has been served, but what does this really mean for Bollywood in the next 5 years?
Bhaijaan-Zoned
Salman Khan has been one of the most bankable stars for decades now. It is no secret that a bhai ki picture always gets a great opening, irrespective of the film’s content. Reportedly, Salman is almost done wrapping up Kabir Khan‘s much anticipated Bajrangi Bhaijaan. The film is releasing in two months, and the makers were holding off on the trailer release till the verdict came out (presumably because they thought it would be in Sallu’s favour). But with Salman in jail, it is either a huge setback for Eros and Kabir because the promotions of the film will be ‘interesting’ to say the least, or a huge boon for the makers as this can be touted as the last Salman film for the next 5 years!
Prem Ratan Dhan NAHI Payo
Speaking of ‘the last Salman film,’ Sooraj Barjatya‘s Diwali release, Prem Ratan Dhan Payo was also a film to look out for in 2015 because not only does it reprise the legendary character Prem, it also sees him in a double role. Given the circumstances, PRDP has last-Salman-film-for-5-years potential too. The plan was that the last 20% of the movie would be shot after Salman was done with Bigg Boss 8, but that got delayed as his co-star Sonam Kapoor was diagnosed with swine flue. I wonder if Sooraj ji thinks his beloved project is jinxed now…
The Jinx!
And how can we talk about jinxed projects in Bollywood without a fleeting mention of Karan Johar‘s magnum opus Shuddhi? Karan’s film has been in the back-burner for a while now as it is just not working out. First Hrithik Roshan was brought on board and then he had to step out of it because of date problems. Buzz was also that Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Ranbir Kapoor were approached for the same role, but nothing came together. There was lots confusion about Kareena Kapoor‘s presence in the film – who, reportedly, was later replaced by Deepika Padukone. Finally, Salman signed on the dotted line and that brought much needed relief to the entire Shuddhi team… until now.
And There’s More…
Other films that have an uncertain future now because of the #SalmanVerdict are Ali Abbas Zafar‘s Sultan under the Yash Raj banner and Aneez Bazmee‘s No Entry sequel, No Entry Mein Entry.
Bigg Boss Chahte Hain!
Not just films, there’s going to be a void in the telly world too. Can you imagine no Salman Khan on Bigg Boss? I can’t think of one more person who can make the show tolerable (Sorry, Farah Khan!). And I want to casually slip in here that this also means that he won’t be able to make another epic Koffee With Karan appearance and talk about his virginity on national TV. Sigh.
Mad Ads
Salman Khan is a brand in itself and the man endorses a whole bunch of products. His reported fee per ad is 1.5 crores. Now with him not being able to appear in the ads, the product managers must be on their toes coming up with different marketing strategies and looking out for new faces for their brands.
Star Kalaakaar!
Interestingly, Salman signed a Rs. 500 crore deal with Star India Network – the biggest ever for a Bollywood star. The deal gives the channel exclusive satellite rights to broadcast all films featuring Salman Khan, starting January 2013. How long is the deal valid for, you ask? Five years. #Awkward.
No More Mentorship Programme
Well, Salman in jail also means un-crazy Eid weekends and that, for a Bollywood junkie like me, just doesn’t make sense. It also means that he won’t be mentoring newbies who grow up to become the next Arjun Kapoor and Sonakshi Sinha, nor will there be new firang imports with Katrina Kaif potential. And you probably didn’t even think about how bhai might miss baba‘s (Sanjay Dutt‘s) homecoming. Did you? No, because you only think about yourself.
My Personal Loss 🙁
Finally, I’m not saying that I’ve overlooked the possibility of Salman missing the Ranbir-Kat wedding, I’m just saying that Salman missing Baba Siddiqui‘s Iftar party this year and not being able to hug SRK affects me more.