Will Salman Khan celebrate his 50th birthday in jail?

All the three Bollywood Khans turn 50 this year. In fact the three of them, Aamir (50), Shah Rukh (49) and Salman (49) could have been triplets born to a Bollywood Mother India, who granted a special wish that they each ruled the box office for at least 25 years.

Other periods of our cinema have also thrown up similar ruling trinities of screen devtas. For example, some time ago it was the magical Dev Anand-Dilip Kumar-Raj Kapoor (and the three Khans might not quite match up to that kind of charisma) but given the changing times and the reach of the social media - certainly their box office impact and fan base will be much, much bigger, today.

All three Khans "arrived" before us as suave romantic heroes, packaged in super-hit films, Aamir with the tragic Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988), Salman with the tear-jerker Maine Pyaar Kiya (1989) and Shah Rukh with the upbeat Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995). Shah Rukh took the longest to establish as a romantic lead, as he had played darker roles in his early films.

Each of these early establishing films showed the Khan trio as young, vulnerable and innocent, caught up in a big, bad world. The love stories of their blockbuster films were almost identical: young lovers face family wrath, are forced to separate, and are united at the end, either in life or death. Salman particularly in Maine Pyaar Kiya played "Prem" with a memorable poignancy. This was before he became a trademark in his own right, and was still interested in acting. Over the years we saw him change from the doe eyed "Prem" to the muscular "Dabangg" characters he plays today. Of course, it will be ironic that even though his most recognisable persona is of a tough-talking cop who can twirl guns and chop up rogues and villains simultaneously, it is now he who will be behind bars.

Out of the three almost-brothers, it is Aamir who has remained completely controversy free. Shah Rukh too has had an occasional "run-in" with the law, the most embarrassing in recent times being a brawl at a cricket stadium. But Salman has unfortunately remained in the news, not for recent misdemeanours, but for past mistakes.

The price of being such a big celebrity, someone remarked, is that you have nowhere to hide. With his heroic, Dabangg larger-than-life image, and his charitable organisation, Salman can no longer be seen to do deals or go underground. He will finally have to face the music, and this time it will not be a foot-stomping Bollywood number.

Even as the Bollywood Mother India groans and writhes over the fate of one of her favourite sons, the trouble is that Salman has also been trapped by the system we have all lived in for decades. He too, perhaps believed that the system could continue to be manipulated. The corruption he fought so valiantly on screen, could be managed and turned in his favour, this time as before.

But the system appears to be changing, and it is important that however late, the victims of that dreadful accident receive justice and closure. All the stars in Bollywood's firmament are unlikely to prevent Salman Khan from being behind bars on his birthday. Unfortunately, this is a role he will have to learn to play with grace and dignity.