Actor Salman Khan played truant and killed a rare deer in Mathania, Rajasthan during a personal detour for a shoot in a movie that he was doing in 1998. Life in the fast lane was de rigueur for Salman whose preference for fast cars, fast women and fast food and even a bit of the wild west lifestyle was the done thing.
But, life @Bacchanalia bar proved too costly, though. He got five years rigorous imprisonment on Monday and will spend at least 48 hours in jail and thereby perhaps trashed some Rs 159 crore of Bollywood money riding on him.
With Salman being one of the top five of Bollywood actors who have brought handsome returns to the industry which has at times almost turned turtle for want of saleable stars.
Sallu, as he is popularly known, was not among them. A son of a successful Bollywood scriptwriter, he made a name for himself doing risqué acts that showed off his muscled body to its best. The girls loved it! His hesitant and whispery acting style went down well with the general audiences.
With producers making a beeline for his office to sign him up Salman never had it so good. Currently, he is doing five big time projects which hang on a wing and a prayer in the soaring heights of Bollywood constellation. To make matters worse is the fact that Salman’s been contracted to do shows all over the world – naatch, gaana types that have been a sellout every time with NRI audiences lining up to buy tickets at virtually exorbitant prices.
With courts going to decide on Wednesday whether to jail Sallu for a lengthy period or give him bail, the industry is waiting with bated breath for a conclusion to the story.
But, there are other dates with courts that Sallu has to keep.
He has got bail for the first case wherein he had killed two chinkaras on Sept, 26, 1998 also in Mathania when he was handed a punishment of one year’s imprisonment and a penalty of Rs 50,000. The case is now in Sessions Court.
A third case has Sallu facing a charge of killing two black bucks near Kankani on October 1, 1998. He is not alone in that case. Facing similar charges are Saif Ali Khan, Neelam and Sonali Bendre!
Another charge, though related, that Sallu faces is under the Arms Act for possessing an unlicensed weapon.
So, from Sajid Nadiadwala’s Jaaneman that reportedly cost in excess of 35 crore (reportedly awaiting finishing touches) to Nikhil Advani’s Salaam-e-Ishq and over the borders to foreign tours, Salman has put a lot of people’s big bucks in jeopardy. All of that money will go down the drain if he is actually jailed for any lengthy time.
Bollywood is already complaining with filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt coming down hard on the decision saying it was way too harsh for the crime committed. Other stars have also jumped on the bandwagon including Preity Zinta and Katrina Kaif, erstwhile girlfriend of Salman Khan.
With rescue on way, though, the punters are taking heavy bets with Sallu odds on favourite to beat the Damocles’ sword hanging over his head.
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Every one always asks me , what do you see in him? I just SMILE and say " Every thing You dont"!
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The district and sessions judge has postponed the hearing of an appeal seeking suspension of the sentence accorded to Salman Khan in the blackbuck poaching case. 
