10 Celebrities Who Owe Their Career To Salman Khan!

Popularly known as the Ma n with the Golden Heart, Salman Khan has undoubtedly turned Bollywood’s biggest launch pad for newcomers. From actors, actresses, and even music composers, Salman has been in news for pushing new talents to gain momentum in the industry, most of whom have become huge stars today.

Turning Godfather for most industry starlets today and other newcomers who don’t have any filmy connection otherwise to survive in this nepotism filled industry, Salman has assured that the fraternity welcomes new talent each year.

While not just newcomers, Salman has helped his other contemporary actors and directors get back the necessary pace and save their failing career to fall apart (read Govinda, Subhash Ghai and others). In the run up to his film where he yet again launches a new face on screen, we bring you 10 celebrities who should be indebted to the Dabangg star for Being Human!

Katrina Kaif: There is a huge reason why we kept her at the top. After having an utterly disgusting debut with a film that Boom-ed with doom at the box office, Katrina Kaif had to walk up to a certain Salman Khan to make her re-entry into Hindi films, this time as an actress and not a mere piece of meat and sexual innuendos. Signing Katrina up for his brother’s production gave in more fuel to rumours of them being in a relationship and henceforth, Katrina started getting numerous offers and the rest was history. After an alleged affair with the star which ended years back and films that escalated her as the topmost heroine in the league, Katrina had established herself big time in B-town. But would anything have happened without Salman? We wonder.

Arjun Kapoor: Another heavy-weight actor (this one was literary true), who was self trained by Salman and brought into the limelight was Arjun Kapoor. Bollywood’s Fooboo who was, once upon a time, a giant sized starlet, lost oodles of weight and got fit, thanks to a strict workout schedule that Salman had enforced upon the actor! Today, as his female fans go gaga over his dimpled grin or those wicked stares, we can only say Salman ka jadoo chal gaya. And the Boney Kapoor lad is extremely grateful to the star as Salman brought in confidence in him, after he was laughed at most of his formative years!

Elli Avram: When she made her entry in the Bigg Boss 7 house, little did we know who this firang babe was. Although she had her debut film, Mickey Virus up for release, people would not even have recognized this B-town diva had Salman not been so lenient to her on the show. More famous for her closeness and affinity towards Salman Khan, the Elli-Salman rumour grabbed headlines and prospects of a future film with Salman cropped up across the media. With Salman’s support, Elli kind of had an angelic stint at the big Boss house where her cute innocence won hearts nationwide. And it would not be a surprise if the two finally gear up for a film together anytime soon.

Salman’s lead in Jai Ho, Daisy Shah was nothing but a back up dancer working in the Dabangg songs when he first spotted her. After having an instant liking, Salman even approached Daisy with the role that Hazel played in Bodyguard, that is of Kareena’s friend. But Daisy was too high-to-shoes to have declined the offer. Next time, Salman returned to her was with the titular female lead role in Jai Ho, to which Daisy just jumped in! And now with Jai Ho releasing in about two weeks, we surely know Daisy’s life will be another Cinderella story, for sure, if not more!

And not just that, the list seemingly seems endless as Salman is all set to launch Aditya Pancholi’s son, the controversy’s-new-child Suraj Pancholi in the Hero remake along with Sunil Shetty’s daughter Athiya Shetty!

Not just that, Salman, who launched Katrina and was the biggest reason for the rise and rise of the leggy actress has also decided to do her another favour as he roped in Katrina’s sister Isabelle in Dr. Cabbie, another home production of the generous actor. After all these names and loads to be added to the list in future, all we can say is Jai Ho, Salman!

Himesh Reshammiya: Very few people know that the Salman-Himesh bond dates back to almost as old as the 1998 when the music composer created one of the most refreshingly piping numbers for the star. Remember the crazy ‘Odhli Chunariya’ number from Pyar Kiya Toh Darna Kya? Well the magical number was crafted by this talented music director and soon their flames caught fire and they became good buddies. While Salman helped Himesh yet another time with Tere Naam which brought him his first ever Award for the Best Music Director, Himesh happens to be the person who gets to have Sallu’s first call when any tune catches the star’s frenzy! That’s how Salman and Himesh created the iconic Teri Meri number from Bodyguard. Wow.

Sajid-Wajid: Among the list of all B-town glittering icons, we have this wonderful music composer duo who were suddenly the flavor of the season, after our Sallu miya decided to give the newcomers a huge break in Bollywood. With Partner’s music busting the charts and following it up with a huge Wanted album, it was Dabangg which made Sajid-Wajid a household name! As of today, they are Salman’s prime composers and it’s them, who Salman trusts almost blindly as they keep belting out one melodious album after the other!

Sana Khan: Another Bigg Boss contestant who had Salman taking up numerous stands for her on the show and even post the show was Sana Khan. Sana, who is all set to make her huge Bollywood debut in the recently up for release Salman movie, Jai Ho is definitely another person who should owe her career to this helpful and friendly star.

Sneha Ullal: When the Aishwarya-Salman fairy tale romance hit rock bottom, giving rise to speculations and triggering off the so called Bad Side of Salman Khan in total public view, the actor somehow decided to launch a new face; a face that resembled his ex-love Aishwarya Rai. Salman who at that point, was obsessed with Ash, made desperate attempts to get back to her and this was just about it. He noticed this girl, his sister’s friend at college who totally resembled Aishwarya. And that’s how a certain Sneha Ullal made her screen debut opposite our Bhaijaan in a totally forgettable flick, Lucky: No Time for Love!

Sonakshi Sinha, or famously as we call her Shotgun Junior, would not have needed Salman to launch her in films, because she did have her own godfather sitting at home. But Salman, who noticed the spark in her eyes and the talent in her body language, asked her to lose weight as he decided to launch Sonakshi in Dabangg. And boy, what a magical debut that was. With just one power packed dialogue in the entire film, Sonakshi became the new ‘it’ girl, as her dreams of being a reputed fashion designer gave way to becoming one of the brightest commercial heroines that Bollywood had till date. With raining crores earned with each film and sharing screen with the heavyweight superstars, Sonakshi has arrived and how.

Zarine Khan: While Sneha Ullal went down the roads of history in Bollywood, vanishing without a trace, Salman decided to launch Zarine Khan, one who resembled his then ex-girlfriend Katrina Kaif. Labelled as Fat-Kat majorly for huge weight issues, Zarine was criticized and heavily shunned because of the flak in her acting skills and her immense similarity with Katrina, who had by then become the top most actress in the industry. Although she was given a big, fat Bollywood film for a much awaited debut, the results of it were anything but Big! But then she did make it up with her second film Housefull 2, crossing the 100 crore mark.

5 LESS EDUCATED BOLLYWOOD ACTRESSES

One of the first to break the Kapoor stereotype, Karisma not only entered showbiz but also made it big there. Her passion and scintillating looks made her one of the most prominent stars of the 90s. However, very few of us are aware of the price she paid for this. Karisma allegedly dropped out of school soon after she entered sixth standard to pursue acting. Her first film was ‘Prem Qaidi’ when she was just sixteen.

One of the most sought after actresses of the decade, Priyanka never finished her graduation. The beauty queen has done her schooling from a number of places like USA and India. She wanted to be a criminal psychologist and joined Jai Hind college in Mumbai. But modelling and beauty assignments came her way too soon.

One of the most beautiful faces in the world, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is a college dropout too. Aishwarya had always been an average student. She went to Jai Hind college for a year but later switched to some other college to pursue architecture. Soon she was offered many high end modelling assignments and film offers. Thus she left her studies mid way to join the Bollywood bandwagon.

Unlike the junior Nawab of Pataudi, Kareena has never been a bright student. From a very tender age, glamour and glitz impressed her more than anything else. One of the highest paid actresses of the decade, Kareena made her film debut at the age of 20. After studying commerce for two years at Mithibai College, Kareena later developed an interest towards law. She then enrolled at the Government Law College, but left it after the first year to join Bollywood.

While Deepika played a college girl in one of the highest grossers of the year, ‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’, very few know that Deepika did not complete her graduation in real life. For Deepika, Bollywood had always been her first calling. Deepika had joined Mount Carmel in Bangalore but never completed her studies there. She also enrolled for a short term course in IGNOU for further studies but could never complete it. Deepika, who has been tagged as the highest grosser of Bollywood, definitely paid a huge price for reaching.

Top 10 Bollywood Stars Who Died Young

1. Divya Bharati (25 February, 1974 to 7 April, 1993)

She was just a teenager when hailed as one of the most vivacious and gifted female stars to watch out for in years to come. Also being touted as the future reigning queen of Bollywood. Divya Bharati had indeed attained incredible heights of success at a very young age. Unfortunately destiny had other plans and she fell to her death from her fifth floor apartment in a Mumbai suburb on April 5th 1993. She was just nineteen and the cruel shackles of mortality nipped her life in the bud leaving a lot of unanswered questions about her terrible end. 

2. Geeta Bali (1930 to 21 January, 1965)

The actress who married Shammi Kapoor after a whirlwind romance was swallowed by the clutches of death at the age of just 35. In the year 1965, she died of small pox. She was a popular actress of her time and met Shammi Kapoor when he was just starting out. Theirs was a story right out of the celluloid screens, she being older by a year to him, they were doubtful of approval from their families. After a courtship of four months, they married at a temple and then went on to inform their families. It was perfect, until this Bollywood star was taken away much before her time leading to a tragic end to their saga.

3. Guru Dutt (9 July, 1925 to 10 October, 1964)

The actor, producer and director know for his extra-ordinary artistic sensitivity; often accredited for steering in the Golden Era of Indian Cinema died in the year 1964 at the age of 39. This Bollywood star is said to have died over an accidental overdose of alcohol and sleeping pills. However, many are of the opinion that it was a suicide, and his third attempt at that. His works to this day have a following unmatched by any artist of the film fraternity. Guru Dutt could have contributed so much more; if only destiny had more years in store for the maestro.

4. Jiah Khan (20 February, 1988 to 3 June, 2013)

Jiah Khan was a Bollywood actress who debuted in the 2007 controversial Ram Gopal Varma film, ‘Nishabd’, opposite Amitabh Bachchan. Since then she starred in only two more films but both were highly successful and Jiah received praise for her acting and sex appeal. With ‘Ghajini’ opposite Aamir Khan and ‘Housefull’ opposite Akshay Kumar, Jiah had achieved a notable success in her career. Jiah Khan allegedly committed suicide at her Juhu residence in Mumbai on 3 June 2013.

5. Madhubala (14 February, 1933 to 23 February, 1969) 

The actress with the million dollar smile ruled the hearts of millions in the formative years of Indian Cinema. Likened to Marilyn Monroe; Madhubala is the vintage beauty of Indian Film Industry. The Anarkali of Indian Cinema was born with a complex heart condition, which was difficult to be treated in those days. This Bollywood star eventually succumbed to her illness at the age of 36 in the year 1969 leaving a void in the Indian Celluloid Industry forever.

6. Meena Kumari (1 August, 1932 to 31 March, 1972)
The tragedy queen of Indian Cinema left us at the age of 39 in the year 1972 due to liver cirrhosis caused due to heavy drinking. Hers was a story of life imitating art. The actress who was sworn by her performances in heartrending and painful roles had if not more but similar upheavals in her personal life. She had taken up drinking heavily after separation from her husband Kamal Amrohi. She then went spiraling down the path of alcoholism never to return. The addiction had engulfed her for good and it was unfortunately too late to hope for a revival after she got back together again with Amrohi after a while.

7. Nirmal Pandey (10 August, 1962 to 18 February, 2010)

Remember the actor with the curly locks in Shekhar Kapur’s Bandit Queen, Daayraa, Train to Pakistan and Godmother? Winner of Best Actor Valenti award in France for his portrayal of a cross- dresser in Daayraa and an alumnus of National School of Drama he worked in several theater groups in London before being noticed in Bollywood. Thereafter he acted in several Bollywood films but died at the age of 48 due to heart attack in Mumbai in the year 2010 adding another actor to the list of stars who were victims of untimely deaths.

8. Sanjeev Kumar (9 July, 1938 to 6 November, 1985)

If irony ever needed an example; Sanjeev Kumar would definitely feature on the list. He was one of the most prolific and versatile Bollywood star of his generation. Having played a plethora of roles; it was nothing short of mockery by fate when the actor who played the characters of several 50 year olds to perfection never got the chance to set foot on the 50th year of his life. He died at the age of 47 in the year 1985 due to a major heart attack thus shocking the entire film loving fraternity.

9. Smita Patil (17 October, 1955 to 13 December, 1986)

One of the finest theater and film actresses to have graced the Indian artistic scene; Smita Patil was the epitome of beauty and talent. Winner of two National Awards and recipient of Padma Shri, this Bollywood star had a promising career ahead of her. She was actively involved in causes for upliftment of women and her choice of films to act in also advocated the same to a large extent. However, at the age of 31 on 13th December 1986 her life was cut short due to childbirth complications and we lost this star forever.

10. Vinod Mehra (13 February, 1945 to 30 October, 1990)

Another actor of the galaxy of Indian cine stars who died much before his time due to a heart attack at the age of 45 in 1990. This eminent Bollywood star had acted in several successful films as the secondary lead or supporting actor. He was married thrice and was believed to have been married to the timeless beauty Rekha too which however was denied by the latter.

15 Child Artists who Became Bollywood Stars!

Ayesha Takia: There’s hardly anyone in Bollywood who doesn’t know about Ayesha Takia, The Complan Girl! Along with Shahid Kapoor, she had endorsed the brand when she was in her early teens. She even played the lead role in Falguni Pathak’s music video Meri Chunar Udd Udd Jaye.

Imran Khan: When Imran Khan became a popular face with Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, a picture of his cute butt from Mamu's Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar started making rounds on the web! He began his stint in Bollywood alongside Aamir Khan, and played the role of a young Aamir in the movies Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak and Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander.

Sanjay Dutt: Bollywood’s most-loved con, Sanjay Munna Bhai Dutt, was 11 when he made his first appearance in a film. Even though it was a brief role, he played the role of a qawali singer in the movieReshma Aur Shera, which had his father, Sunil Dutt, in lead role.

Shashi Kapoor: Having been born to the filmy Kapoor khandaan, he was only seven when he acted in a movie called Tadbir. He won recognition in the movies Aag and Aawara where he played the younger version of his brother Raj Kapoor.

Sridevi: While many celebrities have been in the industry for a long time, Sridevi has been acting since she was four! Her first movie was a Tamil film called Kandan Karunai after which she began acting in several regional and Bollywood movies.

Aamir Khan: Yaadon ki Baarat is undoubtedly a legendary movie in Bollywood! It was also Aamir Khan’s first movie in Bollywood. He was only 7 when he played this role. Doesn’t he look adorable?

Aftab Shivdasani: Even though he can hardly be called a celebrity these days, he has acted in some really well known movies as a kid. He was only 14-months old when he was selected as the face of Farex! After which he appeared in several TV commercials and popular movies like Mr. India, Shahenshah, ChaalBaaz, and Insaniyat.

Bobby Deol: Bobby Deol is yet another celeb kid who entered the film industry as a child. He was only ten years old when he played a young Dharmendra in the movie Dharam Veer.

Hrithik Roshan: Hrithik Roshan was only 6 when he faced the camera for the very first time! While his first experience in the film industry was as an extra in a dance sequence in the movie, Aasha, that same year he also played a minor role in Rakesh Roshan starrer, Aap ke Deewane. After acting in one more movie, he took the role of an assistant director with Karan Arjun and Koyla.

Kunal Khemu: Even though his success graph in Bollywood is hardly a commendable one, he was one of the youngest actors in the industry during the 80s. While his roles in Raja Hindustani and Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke are particularly famous, he has also acted in a few other movies as a child actor.

Neetu Singh: Having acted in over 50 movies, Neetu Singh began her acting career when she was only 8! In 1966, she played a small role in the movie Suraj as a chubby little baby. While her third movieDo Kaliyaan won her recognition, it was Yaadon Ki Baraat which brought her fame.

Rishi Kapoor: Rishi Kapoor was in his late teens when he played the role of a young Raj Kapoor inMera Naam Joker. We don’t think anyone could have done more justice to the role. Three years later, he acted in Bobby and then there was no looking back for him!

Shahid Kapoor: Along with Ayesha Takia, he acted in the Complan ad as The Complan Boy! And well, who can forget his innocent little face in Aankho Me Tera Hi Chehra?!

Urmila Matondkar: The Rangeela girl was only 6 when she began her journey in Bollywood. She played her first role as a child artist in this Shashi Kapoor and Rekha starrer movie, Kalyug. Later at the age of 9 she won recognition with her role in Masoom.

Pictures Of Karan Patel & Ankita Bhargava’s Roka Ceremony!

Happy Birthday Shahid Kapoor: Top Ten Roles – From ‘Jab We Met’ to ‘Haider’

Said time and again, Shahid Kapoor got a second lease of life in Bollywood with the 2014 release 'Haider'. Vishal Bharadwaj completed his Shakespearen trilogy with this adaptation of 'Hamlet' and gave Shahid the mantle to carry the burden on his drooping shoulders. Drooping, because, for all we know, the actor was being criticised for his career choices post 'R Rajkumar'.

But Shahid excelled and how! Not only did he go win the hearts of audiences and critics in equal measures, but also managed to win the 'Best Actor' award at almost every award event. And why not! His portrayal of the emotionally conflicted 'Haider' was heartrending and heart-wrenching at the same time.

Today, as he celebrates his 34th birthday, we bring nine more of his roles, which left us in wonder of the young superstar's talents - acting, dancing and screen presence.

With 'Haider' being the first, second in our list is Imtiaz Ali's 'Jab We Met'. Subtle and silent, that's how Shahid portrayed this character. Kareena Kapoor played the garrulous Geet in the movie, so took all the awards away that year. But Shahid's natural and organic expressions and demeanour of the emotionally conflicted Aditya Kashyap are worth an applause. We say this, because playing a loud character can still be easy, but restraining yourself to play a second fiddle isn't always easy. And Shahid did that with brilliance. 

It won't be an understatement if we say that Vishal Bharadwaj is the only person who has judged Shahid Kapoor's talent in the right manner and measures. Vishal Bharadwaj teamed up for the first time with Shahid in 2009 in 'Kaminey' where the actor played a double role - Charlie, with a lisp and Guddu, with a stammer - and nailed both the parts.

Both the parts - Charlie and Guddu - were as different as chalk and cheese and Shahid portrayed them unbelievably distinctly. It actually seemed that there were two different actors portraying them, as we do not like to exaggerate facts.

It won't be an understatement if we say that Vishal Bharadwaj is the only person who has judged Shahid Kapoor's talent in the right manner and measures. Vishal Bharadwaj teamed up for the first time with Shahid in 2009 in 'Kaminey' where the actor played a double role - Charlie, with a lisp and Guddu, with a stammer - and nailed both the parts.

Both the parts - Charlie and Guddu - were as different as chalk and cheese and Shahid portrayed them unbelievably distinctly. It actually seemed that there were two different actors portraying them, as we do not like to exaggerate facts.

It won't be an understatement if we say that Vishal Bharadwaj is the only person who has judged Shahid Kapoor's talent in the right manner and measures. Vishal Bharadwaj teamed up for the first time with Shahid in 2009 in 'Kaminey' where the actor played a double role - Charlie, with a lisp and Guddu, with a stammer - and nailed both the parts.

Both the parts - Charlie and Guddu - were as different as chalk and cheese and Shahid portrayed them unbelievably distinctly. It actually seemed that there were two different actors portraying them, as we do not like to exaggerate facts.

Shahid's debut venture was a career high. Not only did 'Ishq Vishk' catapult Shahid to instant fame and success, but also earned his 'Best Debutante' award at almost every award event that year. The cute Rajeev Mathur was an instant hit and the nation got a new heartthrob.

Shahid second movie 'Fida' was a far cry from what he did in his debut. Dark and edgy, the movie had Shahid running, killing, yelling, being soaked in blood - everything an actor won't attempt in his second venture, but Shahid is Shahid. He did and did it with aplomb. The movie, though, didn't do well, but earned him the status of a star who can act.

'Dil Bole Hadippa' was an out-and-out Rani Mukerji movie as it was her comeback vehicle, but in this Rani-dominated movie too, Shahid held his own. He was charming and dynamic as Rohan and got the nuances of the character pretty well. Watch the climax to know more.

Shahid often mentions what his father, veteran actor Pankaj Kapur, taught him - to ACT. And Shahid, being the obedient son, follows it to the tee. 'Mausam' might not have done well at the Box Office, but you can watch the whole movie just to see Shahid act. His every expression, every nuance fitted the character and took it to another level of brilliance.

Shahid often mentions what his father, veteran actor Pankaj Kapur, taught him - to ACT. And Shahid, being the obedient son, follows it to the tee. 'Mausam' might not have done well at the Box Office, but you can watch the whole movie just to see Shahid act. His every expression, every nuance fitted the character and took it to another level of brilliance.