#SalmanKhanVerdict: Bollywood will miss Bhai
After 12 years as the accused, Salman Khan has for now been declared a convict. The superstar left Galaxy Apartments in Bandra for the Mumbai Sessions Court with Ashok Singh by his side, the very driver who said it was he who crashed the Toyota Land Cruiser on September 28, 2002 which would lead to the death of one and injure four others. Accompanying Khan on perhaps the most pivotal day of his life were his younger brothers Arbaaz and Sohail, sisters Alvira Khan Agnihotri and Aprita Khan Sharma and his managers Reshma Shetty and Vivek Kamath. Few would have foreseen that one of Bollywood’s most beloved superstars would return with the tag of a criminal.
Judge DW Deshpande set aside all of the defence’s arguments – that Salman didn’t drink anything but water on the fateful night being one of the statements – and agreed with the prosecution. Khan has been pronounced guilty of culpable homicide. Singh may now face charges of perjury. After two hours, in which the defence painted a benevolent picture of the actor as well as highlighted many of his health woes in its mission to get a reduced sentence, Khan’s fate was sealed: five years in prison. Add to that two months of simple imprisonment and a fine of Rs 500 for driving without licence.
Nobody really expected Bollywood to unite and scream, “And Justice for All”. Actors and filmmakers took to Twitter to back one of its most successful brethren. What else could they do? Speaking ill about the Indian judiciary wouldn’t be a wise move so let’s all celebrate Salman Khan the man and sympathise with his family. Few celebrities stooped low and blamed the homeless victims – Nurullah Mehboob Sharif, who died, and the injured Kalim Mohammed Pathan, Munna Malai Khan, Abdullah Rauf Shaikh and Muslim Shaikh – for sleeping on the pavement and putting themselves in a perilous situation.
Khan, popularly known as Bhai, has been going strong for 26 years in the Hindi film industry. In the same period, he has helped many in need and launched many a career – both on and off the screen. There’s a lot riding on his muscular shoulders this year too. First up is the release of Khan-produced remake of 1983 hit Hero, which sees the launch of Athiya Shetty (daughter of Sunil Shetty) and Sooraj Pancholi (son of Aditya Pancholi), who has a chequered past after his girlfriend Jiah Khan committed suicide.
Khan’s conviction isn’t just a setback for him and his family and friends, but also for the entire film industry, which has been hugely dependent on the star to deliver the hits. The fate of Kabir Khan directed Bajrangi Bhaijaan (opposite Kareena Kapoor-Khan) and Sooraj Barjatya’s Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (opposite Sonam Kapoor), both with coveted festival release slots of Eid and Diwali respectively, are now uncertain.
For fans of Bhai, it is hard to accept that their idol may have a fate similar to that of Sanjay Dutt. But for now they can head to Bandstand and do what they often do – stand across the road, wait for a glimpse of their star and cheer for him. He will be there until May 8 for now.