This is the year of the Khans of Bollywood. Three of them, Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan have dominated it for over three decades and as they all turn sixty, are still on the top.
If Aamir Khan is to be believed, older than the other two by eight months, he says: “We still feel we are 20.”
Aamir turned 60 on March 14 and he heralded this in style by introducing to the media his latest ‘partner’. This is after two marriages that lasted 16 years each and several rumoured alliances. All this feeds the social media frenzy. But this was in the passing, amidst plans of Sitare Zameen Par that he promises will carry his iconic Taare Zameen Par beyond the starry heights of creativity. There is obvious interest in his Lahore 1947 about the Partition that year. He has recovered from the loss of image and money, from Lal Singh Chadha, a remake of Forrest Gump.
If the much-married “Mr Perfectionist” arouses wide interest in his ‘reel’ and real life, so does the single-wife faithful Shah Rukh Khan, the Badshah of Bollywood – titles that are given and acknowledged in all seriousness. And then, there is the never-married Salman Khan. He has lost out on matrimony as, his writer-father Salim Khan laments, the heroines he promotes simply leave once they achieve name and fame.
With Shah Rukh and Salman, you have to witness the audience frenzy in Jawan and Pathan when ‘Bhai’ comes to SRK’s rescue during a free-for-all fight in a distant land. You have to see the crowds outside their Mumbai homes on their birthdays or Eid festivals, who wait for hours to have their glimpse as they wave from their balconies. A recent housebreak that seriously injured Saif Ali Khan, often referred to as “the fourth Khan” caused concern and anger against the police.
This is the longest collective success, and still counting, that Indian cinema has witnessed since Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor. They, along with Ashok Kumar, Sunil Dutt, Raaj Kumar and many others had longer run in the last century.
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Millions ride on the Khans. Each one heading their own production, besides freelancing, announces or executes ambitious projects meant for home and global audiences. They are definitely ageing, but unlike their peers, maintain well-chiselled bodies, with six-packs developed and shed as and when required for their roles and leave behind ‘heroes’ half their age.
Though by no means to be solely blamed, their rise and resilient stay at the top has consolidated the ‘star’ system. They are the cause and the consequence, unlike in the past, of much talk of cronyism and of ‘pedigree’. There is much justification either way – take the side you want.
The ‘first superstar’ (Rajesh Khanna) and ‘Jubilee Kumar’ (Rajendra Kumar) belong to the last century. But children and grandchildren of many – even fifth generation in the case of the Kapoors – are part of the Bollywood discourse. This is not surprising in tradition-bound India where children are promoted by their parents. Those with pedigree and push fall if they are not talented enough. The key difference is in opportunities for trial and error.
And yet, more and more ‘outsiders’ strive and the lucky ones succeed. The advent of the OTT (over the top) cinema has brought about an avalanche of newcomers in all branches of film-making. As actor Pratik Gandhi, a small-town stage and TV actor who has succeeded, has said: “OTT has disrupted the film industry in a good way.” Indeed.
But rest assured, despite the many duds they have delivered – and this is true of many other A-listers like Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn – the ‘system’ places Khans well above the others, even their heroines. The gender bias continues, so does the age-dictated fade out for the latter. The ethos remains patriarchal.
Their heroines have remained in their 20s, though. It is but a minor change from the times the hero, whatever his age, ran around the tree with a teenage girl. A bit of ‘maturing’ in Bollywood.
The star system has its seamy side. It has perpetuated hangers-on who are integral to a star’s entourage. The producer bears the burden. Again, the Khans are not solely responsible.
A significant part of the budget goes to the PR to ensure success. Called “a better businessman” by his critics, Aamir is known to set a big amount for PR and personally gets involved. PR gives the necessary push, but does not guarantee success.
Much has changed in the last three decades. The Khans are the link between the era of ‘matinee’ shows and single-screen cinema theatres, old technology of shooting, editing and processing a film giving way to everything digital. Less sweat, but more competition as more and more films are made, year after year, and reach new audiences.
There is more money flowing in to make films for a global market that is Indian diaspora-plus. Mercifully, the money does not come from smugglers and underworld dons, as it once did. It is better organised and the corporate sector, even the multinational corporations.
Yet, the risk factor remains as high as ever with hundreds that do not get theatre release and find themselves on the OTT or simply, into oblivion. As its glamour and pull rise, so does the risk. Gain or loss could be in billions.
The “100-crore club” that started with the Khans has the moolah spreading to the better organised South, especially the Telugu cinema. This has also meant that after RRR and Bahubali, the Raos and Reddys and many with tongue-twisting names gain national and international fame. Also, the traditional North-South divide that accepted mainly a heroine from the South but the hero essentially from the North has begun to disappear.
Political risk has increased, ostensibly because of the Khans’ faith. There is awe and honour, but speaking up in public has become increasingly difficult for the Khans. They get targeted by politicians and conservatives. Salman, the unadulterated, if naïve ‘Bhai’ and a charity-disbursing do-gooder, enjoys dancing at Ganesh festivals (his mother was born a Hindu) but has avoided speaking.
Time was when SRK and Aamir used to vent their views openly. But the pushback was tremendous, even if temporary. Supporting the Narmada project oustees caused disruption of Aamir’s Fanaa. Complaining of insecurity felt by the religious minorities led to systematic targeting of SRK’s two films, Pathan and Jawan. However, both turned out to be big hits, minting millions. Nothing beyond tense public discourse and political jibes came out of SRK’s son being imprisoned for alleged possession of drugs.
Obviously, superstardom comes at a price.
