One of the best known Bollywood actors of modern Indian cinema, Salman Khan has become a household name in South Asia and its diaspora. He originally started his career through his father who was a prominent screenwriter in Bollywood. Khan appeared in his first movie in 1988, Biwi Ho To Aisi, in a supporting role, and the world was unprepared for the debut of what would become one of the greatest actors in India. One year after appearing in Biwi Ho To Aisihe received his first nomination for Best Actor at Filmfare.
Khan’s career took off when he appeared in 1994 Andaz Apna Apnan, which gained cult status after its release. He continued to star in blockbusters that were a success at the box office, appearing alongside India’s top talent. However, it was in the Bollywood movies of the 2000s that Khan started find his pass in his career, confirming his status as one of the most legendary actors of his generation and popularity in commercial films. Later in his career, he would specialize in producing, hosting and mentoring and giving back to the community. New to Salman Khan’s filmography? These are his best movies, ranked.
6/6 Andaz Apna Apnan
Released in 1994, Khan co-starred with Aamir Khan in Andaz Apna Apnan. They are two young men who dream of marrying a rich girl who has returned to India from London to get some of her family’s wealth. The two decide to flee their town to travel to the town where the girl lives in an attempt to court her, and their paths cross for the first time. As they try to win her affections, new obstacles and rivals appear on the horizon to make their task that much harder than it should be.
5/6 Bajrangi Bhaijaan
Bajrangi Bhaijaan stars Khan in the lead role of Bajrangi Bhaijaan, a man who invites a young girl to dinner with him after he finds her on the street. It turns out that she is a disabled girl from Pakistan who has been sent to India to visit a shrine in Delhi, but the train she was on leaves her without her mother in a strange new country. Though the two have different religions and nationalities, they forge an unlikely bond as they travel to take her back home. A tender and healthy story, Bajrangi Bhaijaan is worth seeing at least once.
4/6 Karan Arjun
Karan Arjun is one of the best-known films in which Khan starred in the 1990s and was the second biggest film at the box office that year. In a village in northern India, a mother raises her sons devotedly and alone, despite being poor. When her late husband’s relatives come and kill the sons, she prays that one day they will reincarnate – and they are. 20 years later, they become rivals and attempt to kill each other, but discover their past sibling pasts after a flash of lightning forces them to stop fighting.
3/6 Sultan
Anushka Sharma and Khan shine in 2016 Sultan, which is currently the tenth highest-grossing Indian film in existence. Khan plays Sultan Ali Khan, a middle-aged man who, when he was much younger, was a professional champion wrestler. Now he lives with his wife in the city of Haryana and a local martial arts association tries to recruit him to enhance their reputation. Khan, however, has given up on a life of wrestling but can’t seem to escape it. The film then delves into his past and how he got to this point, as well as how he met his beloved wife.
2/6 Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam is a classic example of what a Bollywood movie could be: it has drama, musical and comedic timing spread across its running time. A young man (Khan) arrives at the family of a classical Indian musician to study the art form. The musician’s daughter is kicked out of her room, and although she initially harbors a grudge against the new visitor, the two fall in love and decide to get married. But her father disapproves and already has a wedding planned for his daughter, which leads to a whole new set of problems when he banishes the student from their house.
1/6 Hum Aapke Hain Koun…!
The romantic drama Hum Aapke Hain Koun…! was released in 1994, but it seems more relevant than ever. Khan stars with Madhuri Dixit as a budding couple. Two orphaned brothers find their lives change when one of them gets married, which ultimately works out well for both. Both brothers eventually fall in love, but it wouldn’t be a dramatic film if something terrible didn’t happen in the process. A film about love and the sacrifices we make to keep it alive, Hum Aapke Hain Koun…! was one of the most successful movies when it was released in the 90s.