He who mumbles

This could be a fans last mile declaration for his object of adoration,and it could apply to any star. But in Salman Khans case,it seems like the one big statement of purpose. In attempting to decode the superstars appeal,I spoke to viewers across the spectrum,and what I got was a mix of scorn and stupefaction. Why was I being such a frickin intellectual? Salman Khan is like a force of nature. He is who he is. He doesnt pretend to be anyone else.

That last,he sure doesnt. From his debut,Maine Pyar Kiya to his latest Dabangg,which has turned out to be one of the biggest hits of the year,Salman has assiduously and painstakingly been himself. Amitabh had Vijay. Shah Rukh had Raj. And Salman had Prem,a screen name that fit him like a second skin. So does the persona. Youthful,likeable,but not malleable. He got his dulhaniya,just the same as Raj: all Prem had to do was smile his dazzling smile,drop his shirt,show off his supremely smooth chest,and rampage through the film as if it was a series of one-liners.

In Dabangg,he gets a name hes never used before. Chulbul Pandey sounds like a fellow from Ballia or Bahraich. Or any one of the kasbas,a cross between a village and town,that dot UPs eastern belt,bordering Bihar,where Hindi turns into a lilt from the harsh khadi boli of the western part of the state. Chulbul does a good job of making Salman speak as he never has. But we know its only on the surface. We know that the act will comfortingly be the same. Not too far below Chulbul Bhaiyyas collared shirt-prim-belt-creased pants lurks our hero,who switches from his familiar lover to tapori and back again in the space of a heartbeat. Or a mumble.

That mumble,incoherent only to those who dont believe,has long been Salmans trademark,and like everything else about the star,very hard to mimic. On all TV shows,which pass off as humour shows but are thinly disguised star mimicry classes,youll find everyone else being copied efficiently: Amitabhs baritone has been a mainstay,so has Shah Rukhs stutter. You will not find a Salman Khan clone. He is inimitable. Mimicry artists may rejoice at a weapon hes handed them with Dabangg,but wait: anyone can thrust Ray-Bans down his back collar,but no one can thrust his pelvis the way Salman can. Govinda could. The time he and Salman partnered in Partner,the former showed the latter up in their shimmying with Katrina. But Govindas Funnyman stardom was never the same quality as Loverboy Salmans,and anyway its a thing of the past. Hrithik could,and still can. Hrithik is fleet of foot and pliant of pelvis,but hes since become People Like Them. Salman has been and always will be People Like Us: sombrero and salsa,phoeey; Ray-Bans as adornment for the unsung back,now thats something.

Salman on the big screen comes off exactly as Salman on the small screen. In fact,Salman Khan as a TV host is more entertaining than any other superstar,because he makes the tough juggle look easy being aware of his stardom and yet not letting it come in the way of his jousting with his super-starry guests. In chatting with the gushing average Joe carefully chosen by the shows guest co-ordinators but thats a carefully kept secret,he keeps it so friendly that you will believe hes your lifelong pal. In person,at a press-meet crush,he manages to be there and yet be magnificently absent: in a long-ago encounter,he lit up only when addressing an adoring female TV anchor; the rest of us,mostly from unglamorous print publications,were only to be tolerated.

Post Dabangg,theres no stemming the Salman euphoria. He is a darrrling sab ke liye. An owner of a cinema hall,in back-of-the-beyond UP town

Shamli,calls the collections extraordinary. A second-year student of an elite womens college in Delhi loves the film. Dude,she says,it is awesome. And is disappointed that I dont wish to join her in a repeat viewing. And,oh yes,theres that slap here too.

shubhra.guptaexpressindia.com