Salman Khan has imprinted himself on hearts and minds in his more than 30 years as a leading man. This is a celebrity that is so well-liked that he is jokingly referred to as Bhai. Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai is also the title of his most recent film.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the Bhai or the film that we required, Salman khans’ Radhe the Most wanted Bhai to become the Worst rated movie for him with a 1.79 rating. With Wanted, director Prabhudeva relaunched Salman’s floundering career in 2009. (a remake of the Telugu film Pokkiri). The film, along with the subsequent blockbuster Dabangg, catapulted Salman to what I call Teflon-level superstardom. Nothing will get to him, not controversies, not flops, not felony cases.
Over the next decade, he delivered a series of blockbusters (Ready, Bodyguard, the Tiger franchise, Sultan, among others) and rose to near-mythical status. According to industry insiders, even a Salman flop earns 100 crores. In small cities, these 50-plus star’s films single-handedly kept single-screen theatres afloat.
However, the Salman illusion seems to have soured over the last three years. His fervent fanbase may be in place, but the films are increasingly decaying. I see cynicism in Race 3, Dabangg 3, and now Radhe (a sequel to Wanted, also directed by Prabhudeva). These films are based on the assumption that Salman fans will flock to theatres or streaming services regardless of content. Their zeal is taken for granted, and as a result, there is absolutely no effort at coherence, let alone art.
Superstars like Salman build their own solar systems. Around them, entire machinery rotates. Perhaps they should find space for a scriptwriter in their large network of executives, producers, favorite associates, companies, labels, administrators, and publicists. Since the actor is in desperate search of a story right now.
