How Salman Gets Away With Murder in the Public Mindspace

The social work is great, but Salman’s “Being Human” campaign is also a carefully curated legal defense.

(This story was first published on 6 May 2015, on the day a Mumbai trail court convicted Salman Khan of all charges in the 2002 hit-and-run case. However in a dramatic turn, around seven months later, on 10 December 2015 the Bombay High Court acquitted the actor of all charges.)

Regardless of what the courts say about Salman Khan’s guilt, his his legion of fans don’t seem to care. He’s a trigger-happy hunter of endangered species, he’s been a terrible boyfriend known to bash up women, has reportedly cavorted with underworld dons and is now a convicted felon. But what makes the “Being Human” actor such a demi-god?

Could all this unflinching adulation be the result of a clinically doctored public image? Here’s an attempt to understand how Salman, the actor became ‘Salman bhai’ – a demi-god to the msasses – through a carefully crafted PR manipulation.

Being Human

Salman is rarely seen without his ‘Being Human’ T-shirt. The actor is synonymous with the clothing brand that donates a part of the sale proceeds to charity. The brand is available in 200 stores across three continents. His lawyers have more than once peddled his philanthropic work in court by construing his mistakes as a result of him “being human”.

The Philanthropist

Salman is known to auction jewelry, clothes and his paintings to raise money for charity. The Being Human Foundation website boasts of the actor’s work for cancer and AIDS patients. The actor uses his star power to create awareness about several important issues. His contributions cannot be discounted, but let’s also remember, he extracts a good photo-opportunity from each of these events.

The Magnanimous

Ever wondered where all those stories about bhai’s magnanimity come from? We’ve read about “bhai giving away his watch” or “tipping his manicurist generously” both in mainstream media and in Bollywood blogs. While we would not argue the authenticity of his generous acts, the stories are all probably generated by a keen Public Relations Team.

Public Awareness Films

In 2009, the actor was desperate to get rid of his “bad boy” image. Aishwarya Rai had gone public with their abusive relationship, he was facing heat for possessing a weapon in the black buck case and his films were bombing at the Box Office. So the actor, who had till date not been a part of any public awareness films, started appearing in short films. One of them, ironically, was against road rage.

Salman, Aam Aadmi?

By appearing in advertisements of products used by the aam aadmi, Salman appears to have made a conscious effort to stay relatable to the masses. Britannia Tiger biscuits, Relaxo slippers, Thumbs Up and Rotomac pens are just a few of many examples.

The Good Bad Boy

Robinhood Pandey in Dabangg, patriotic intel officer in Ek Tha Tiger, an undercover cop who kicks ass in Wanted - the characters essayed by Salman post-2000 are a far cry from the philandering husband roles he essayed in one David Dhawan movie after another in the late 1990s. His choice of films appears to be a conscious effort to carve out a Robinhood-esque image to sway the masses.

Those who are blaming the judiciary, or blaming the media for unfairly targeting a celebrity need to remember that what we know of actors and their lives is a narrative, carefully crafted by PR agencies to impress us at a conscious and subconscious level. Don’t fall for it. They’re as human as us. Just richer and more influential. And hence able to evade the law for 13 years.