Salman’s Hit-and-Run Verdict Might Cost Bollywood Big Time!

Film producers might not suffer monetarily if Salman is convicted, but Bollywood will surely lose major fan following

Salman Khan was held guilty in the 2002 hit-and-run case on May 6. A sessions court in Mumbai sentenced him to 5 years imprisonment.

While Salman Khan’s legal team prepares to keep the actor out of jail for as long as possible,  trade analysts are nose deep in estimations of the money riding on the actor. As luck would have it, he might only cause a Rs175-200 crore dent to film business, which is actually less than what each Salman starrer makes on its opening weekend alone!

Currently, Salman is wrapping up Kabir Khan’s Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Sooraj Barjatya’s Prem Ratan Dhan Paayo. Trade analyst Komal Nahta speculates that since both productions have almost been canned, the producers won’t lose much.

Which brings us to Salman’s future commitments that reportedly include Anees Bazmee’s sequel to No Entry (2005), Aanand L Rai’s next along with three films being produced by Karan Johar, Mahesh Manjrekar and Aditya Chopra respectively. Nahta’s sense is that since these films haven’t gone into production yet, big monies haven’t been invested, barring the advance amount that might have been paid to the actor to block his dates.

But, consider this- each Salman flick rakes in about Rs 300-400 Crore on an average. The actor gives 3-4 blockbusters a year. So, the industry is definitely about to lose Rs 1,000-1,200 Crore worth of fan following. That could be a massive hit! Of course, this is assuming that the verdict is not in his favour.

Karan Johar, the producer of the forthcoming Salman starrer Shuddhi, has pledged to stand by the actor.

All of us are deeply connected to Salman and we stand by him. We support him and we wish him all the best. All our thoughts are always with him.
- Karan Johar, Producer

While filmmakers and fans sit back and wait for the verdict, trade buzz suggests that Salman is not taking on any future projects or endorsements. For now, it’s just wait and watch.