If I come anywhere close to Rajnikanth, I will be happy - Salman Khan

Salman Khan whipped up mass hysteria at a 40-year old single screen theater called Chandan at Mumbai, yesterday. A deafening roar greeted the ‘Phenomenon’ as he walked into the theater. For the first time ever, a trailer was launched in the presence of the aam aadmi which is very well in consonance with the theme of his movie that shows the fight of a common man against injustice. First look at the trailer and it was not very difficult to hazard a guess that Jai Ho is what one would call a typical Salman movie. You have the usual ‘top of the lungs’ screaming drill, beefy men and cars flying around in Rohit Shetty styled action sequences and the knight in the shining armour (read: Salman) who pops up to save his sister’s izzat. Nothing great about Jai Ho. But to trash it would mean causing grave injustice to Salman’s countless fans for whom the mere glimpse of their matinee idol is enough to give goose bump moments. Salman today, has perhaps moved into a different realm altogether – a space where his presence in the film can assure huge box-office returns irrespective of the quality of the script or the film. And Salman too, seems to have realized where his major draw lies. In one smart move designed to build huge publicity for his movie, Salman chose a common man’s theater for his first trailer launch. He also invited the common public which meant the press couldn’t ask Salman any ‘inconvenient’ questions. One reporter tried doing that and was booed by the audience much to Salman’s delight. Questions on his marriage and ex-flame Katrina were pooh-poohed by Salman and his fans. Smart way of avoiding those uneasy questions, Salman. The greater story however lies in the persona that Salman has become. Today, acting doesn’t really matter to him. It’s his God-like screen presence that brings in the moolah. And after watching his on-screen antics in Jai Ho and the subsequent response from the crowd, we couldn’t help but draw parallels to Southern legend, the Thalaivar – Rajnikanth- who also coincidentally celebrated his birthday yesterday. We asked Salman, if it would be right to call him the Rajnikanth of Bollywood and expectedly Salman turned modest and replied: "I do not consider myself as the Rajnikanth of Bollywood. As a person, if I come close to him, I would be really happy.” Jai Ho, directed by Sohail Khan is set to hit the silver screens on 24 January 2014. This movie could be the litmus test for Salman. If the movie goes on to become a hit, the ageing could well come close to becoming the Rajnikanth of Bollywood.