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Quick. Write it down. The net box office impact of the three Khans since they first hit the big screen is a mind-boggling Rs 1,906 crore.

Yet, will someone tell us why, 15 years after their debut, the tired Khan-e-Khaas debate still continues? We decided to let the Net Box Office impact that8217;s total collections minus entertainment tax do the talking.

The story so far: Shah Rukh is the Badshah and Aamir, the Ikka. And post 20048217;s Tere Naam, Salman is the Joker8212;slip him in anywhere and he will change the game.

Until three months ago, Shah Rukh Khan led the polls. But then came two big budget blips8212;Swades and Paheli. And the 8216;welcome back Aamir8217; wave.

After all, Aamir was on-screen after four years. But the Big Bang beginning of Mangal Pandey: The Rising fizzled into a whimper by week three. Meanwhile, the third angle in this triangle, Salman Khan, was busy consolidating last year8217;s BO booty. The average Lucky: No Time For Love was followed by a tapes scandal linking him to the underworld. But that didn8217;t stop Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya from hitting the spot.

His extended guest appearance in No Entry earned debt-ridden producer Boney Kapoor his first big grosser in seven years. 8216;8216;If you see Salman8217;s track record for the last two summers, he8217;s the most successful of the lot,8217;8217; says trade analyst, Taran Adarsh.

Yet, they don8217;t call Salman 8216;The One8217;. So, who8217;s the title-holder then?

Not much has changed. 8216;8216;Shah Rukh8217;s brand equity is still the biggest,8217;8217; says Komal Nahata, editor, Film Information. SRK8217;s biggest advantage is his unmatched dominance in the overseas market. A regular SRK film in the UK and the US easily does business worth Rs 17-20 crore. Salman swings

Rs 8-10 crore while Aamir8217;s share is fixed at Rs 5-6 crore. Read on, it8217;s time you heard the numbers speak.

1 Shah Rukh: The Overseas King
Net BO Impact
Rs 806,23,07,268

SRK had eight mega grossers between 2000-2005 in the domestic circuit. Karan Johar8217;s Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham leads with Rs 53.17 crore, followed by Veer-Zaara, Kal Ho Naa Ho, Devdas, Main Hoon Na, Mohabbatein and Chalte Chalte.

Ironically, while 19978217;s Pardes started the NRI-friendly genre of films, Swades had a tepid run in the homeland. NRIs, however, remain a SRK preserve. Says Adarsh, 8216;8216;SRK is one to 10 overseas. Nobody before him and nobody after him can even dream of raking it so big.8217;8217; Sample this: Shah Rukh stars in seven of the top 10 hits in the UK and six in the US. 8216;8216;A film like Paheli struggled to get an opening here, but did a business of Rs 11 crore overseas,8217;8217; says Nahata.

Currently, SRK is only shooting for Johar8217;s Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna. By that standard, around Rs 40 crore8212;the film8217;s budget8212;rides on him. Though he8217;s committed to Farah Khan8217;s Happy New Year and Farhan Akhtar8217;s Don, these films will only start next year.

2 Salman: Prince of the Heartland
Net BO Impact
Rs 715,82,47,724
Salman8217;s tally: Four blockbusters in five years. Sajid Nadiadwala8217;s Mujhse Shaadi Karogi leads with Rs 28.10 crore. Other A-listers are Baghbaan, No Entry and Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya.

He might be criticised for the same kind of buffonery but today, a Salman Khan film gets the best initial. 8216;8216;Salman is the undisputed hero of the masses. He has marked Rajasthan, New Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat as exclusively his territories,8217;8217; says Adarsh.

Trade pundits say that Salman has started the trend of bumper openings. 8216;8216;Most of Salman8217;s movies earn their recovery in the first three weeks itself because of the thumping initial he commands,8217;8217; says trade analyst, Amod Mehra. That8217;s why Kapoor displayed Khan8217;s mug all over No Entry8217;s publicity hoardings even though he just had a guest role. Currently, five Salman starrers are on the floors8212;Kyon Ki, Jaan-E-Man, Marigold, Babul and God Tussi Great Ho. Translated, that8217;s a cool Rs 125 crore bet on his brawn. The trade buzz is that he8217;s also been signed on for two Yash Raj films and a Subhash Ghai venture. Other pending assignments include Rajkumar Santoshi8217;s London Dreams and Nikhil Advani8217;s next.

3 Aamir: Urban Warrior
Net BO Impact
Rs 3,84,27,52,305
Aamir8217;s Lagaan, Mangal Pandey-The Rising and Dil Chahta Hai make the grade. Lagaan did a business of Rs 35.44 crore. These films also make it to the ongoing decade8217;s top of the charts.

8216;8216;An Aamir Khan film is most appreciated by discerning city audiences. Bombay, Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad are A-plus for all Aamir starrers,8217;8217; says Adarsh. Aamir is the intelligent viewer8217;s top star. Mangal Pandey got a robust opening across the country. 8216;8216;There were almost 12 shows in multiplexes when the film released; initial hype saved the film,8217;8217; says Adarsh.

Aamir has always maintained his hiatus was unintentional. These days, he is on a signing spree. Besides Rakesh Mehra8217;s Rang De Basanti and Kunal Kohli8217;s Fannah, he has also signed Vishal Bhardwaj8217;s Mr Mehta and Mrs Singh. Since Bharadwaj8217;s film will roll only next year, Rs 60 crore is at stake on Aamir.

The Verdict

Film-maker Mahesh Bhatt spells out the big picture. 8216;8216;Shah Rukh and Salman play unpretentiously to the gallery, which is why they have more hits than Aamir.8217;8217; He weighs the three biggies. 8216;8216;If stardom is a 100 metre race, SRK is in front but he can feel Salman8217;s breath on his neck. Aamir is a close third.8217;8217;

Bhatt feels Aamir can easily fall into the Great Oscar Trap. 8216;8216;Anyone who goes to the Oscars either hikes his price or waits for the right project. Taking your work seriously is different from taking yourself seriously. Aamir should do more light-hearted roles to appeal to the universal audience.8217;8217; His biggest strength, feels Bhatt, is commitment to a project.

Salman is the endearing bad boy. 8216;8216;He has a vulnerable charm and people like his recklessness,8217;8217; says Bhatt. But it8217;s high time Salman ventured into the unknown. 8216;8216;He should work with different people. How long can he do the same stuff over and over?8217;8217;

With regards to SRK, Bhatt fears he works too much. 8216;8216;He8217;s always driving fast and needs to pause.8217;8217; And why is he still No.1? 8216;8216;Charisma, charisma, charisma.8217;8217;

All figures from ibosnetwork.com