Being Salman

by Jasim Khan

Salman Khan turns fifty on 27 December 2015. Having made his film debut in 1988, he has found his place in the hearts of millions, with blockbuster movies ranging from Maine Pyar Kiya and Hum Aapke Hain Koun to the more recent Dabangg, Ek Tha Tiger, Kick and Bajrangi Bhaijaan to his credit. He is also well known for his magnanimity, including his work with the non-profit charitable organization, Being Human, which he runs.Salman’s stint with controversies has been as long as his career. His personal life has often made headlines, as have his involvements in the blackbuck poaching case and the hit-and-run case. He has a reputation for getting hot under the collar and abusive when riled. These attributes have earned him the dubious title of the ‘bad boy of Bollywood’.Which is the real Salman Khan? Why is he the way he is?This book delves into Salman’s family lineage and his personal history to reveal interesting vignettes and unknown facts about the enigmatic and immensely popular superstar, and will help his many fans understand what ‘Being Salman’ is all about.

289 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 27, 2015

Reviews

[Abhilash Ruhela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Salman Khan is one celebrity who has always been in news since his arrival in the industry. Take it for misbehaving with media or his love affairs or the hit-and-run case or the violent behavior with many other colleagues etc. Everyone wants to know why Salman Khan is the way he is. The journalist and producer, Jasim Khan, takes the challenge to tell us why Salman Khan behaves and reacts in a particular manner in this book called "Being Salman". A perfectly-titled book with a good cover page is surely attractive which makes any reader to pick it up even if he/she is not crazy for the actor. Though the pricing is on the higher side but for Salman's fans, nothing matters when it's about their Bhaijaan.

The book begins with history of Salman Khan's family where the author discusses even the past 5 generations of the actor by naming and characterizing each of his great-grandfathers properly and making you understand the background from which Salman Khan comes. The only problem is that this become boring after a point of time as Salman Khan is no where in the picture and the main motive for reading this book is to read as much as possible about the Dabangg superstar. Salman Khan finally arrives at the page no. 70 by the time it's too late but author have managed to keep the readers interested after 4-5 pages and reading about his conducts in school and college is a great read.

By the time the unofficial biography reaches the point where his filmy career and the events happened after joining the industry is discussed, it seems as if a recap is being given about Salman's life which we have already heard crores of time on news channels and read in newspapers. But the other good thing about this whole section is that author have not sensationalized anything for the sake of making this book interesting but spoken about everything the way it is. The few insights on his court cases were a good read as many untold facts have been told. Rest, I am disappointed because author have not been able to explain why Salman Khan is the way he is. In stead we are told what and who he is which we already know. That is the main reason why this book has not gained from the word of mouth otherwise this could have been a great bestseller as autobiography and biography are doing wonderful these days. I give the book 2.5 stars out of 5.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!

[RITU MAHESHWARI · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book true to its name helps to understand the riddle Salman- Why he is so complex and complicated; so unpredictable; he is a great friend and fierce enemy at the same time. The biography has been beautifully written with the focus to understand Salman Character- his image as a bad boy of Bollywood and as a Philanthropist, as a Good Samaritan and as a criminal. Of course about his love life as well. A must read. Follow the link to read the full review
http://thebookworld.org/salman-jasim-...

[Sonyaa Kamble · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a Salman Khan Fan... So will surely like the book. But the History and background about his family back Indore is a bit too much. There could be more information about him instead. All other details and information mentioned about him.

[Piyusha Jadhav Mane · Rating 4 out of 5]

The actual concept or the theory behind this book is why Salman Khan is the the way he is. And author has put down this theory in a very good writing. But the way he relates Salman's behavior to his ancestors is irrelevent (In my opinion). But author has done a good job with history behind his family, struggling days of Salman as well as the criminal charges Salman is facing.

[Elham · Rating 5 out of 5]

just as expected, loved this book.

[Yash Sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Salman khan : Main dil mein aata hoon ,samajh mein nahin (I reside in hearts, and not in thoughts)
------------------------------------------------------------------

1) This book is divided into the following 15 chapters-
* Salman khan : What makes him the bad boy of bollywood
* The story marked in a diary
* The tribal connection of salman
* Fauji No.1 : Salman's Great-great-grandfather Abdul latif khan
* Fauji No.2 : Salman's Great-grandfather Abdul Majid Khan
* The Era of Salman's grandfather
* Salim khan : The first khan in bollywood
* Indore: A walk down memory lane
* The second khan in bollywood
* Maine pyar kyun kiya? (Oh, why did i fall in love?)
* Two girlfriends
* Why is the salman the way he is?
* Is salman guilty?
* The sultan of bollywood
* 'I reside in hearts, Not in thoughts'
2) Though this is not an official biography of Salman Khan but the author interviewed Salman's father(Salim khan) and some of his very close friends and family members.

3) The story goes like that Salman's Great-great-grandfather Abdul Latif Khan arrived in Indore from Swat valley (Afghanistan-pakistan Border ) and he served as a soldier in the maharajah of holkar army. Salman's Great-grandfather Abdul Majid Khan succeeded his father and he also served as a solider in the army of Maharaja Tukoji Rao 2 of indore. Salman's grandfather Abdul Rashid Khan also carried his family legacy and served as DSP (Deputy superintendent of police) and later retired as DIG of indore . He was also awarded the prestigious 'Diler Jung award' of the holkar times (Padma shree of our times).

4) Author also included a chapter on the life of salim khan and the latter contribution to bollywood.

5) As salman was born in indore and later he studied for two years in Scindia boarding school in Gwalior with his younger brother arbaaz and than they move to Mumbai where he completed his schooling.

6) As the love life of salman is often being discussed in the media but very few people knows that his first girlfriend was a girl by the name of Shaheen Jaffrey . As the author discussed his relationship from Somi ali to katrina kaif he asked his father about these relationship of salman and i would quote the same what his father told to the author -
None of the girls who stole Salman's heart was interested in raising a family . They had come into his life for their career. They wanted to reach the top through Salman. They wanted to pursue their ambition. All these girls wanted to ride on his back to the top. Whether they succeeded or not is a separate issue. But they had their eyes set on stardom. So they never wanted to settle down with Salman. Sorry, but why blame salman for this. Not even one among his girlfriends was ever interested in marriage. They wanted a relationship till it was exciting and then moved away.

7) Author also discussed the legal cases against Salman i.e Hit-and-run case, black buck poaching case and he also interviewed the members of the bishnoi community who had filed the case against salman in the killing of black buck , and the various loopholes and conspiracy related to these cases.

8) Salman is a pashtun from Akuzai clan but his mother Salma Khan(Susheela charak) is maratha Rajput and as we know that his family is very plural and respect all religions.

9) Author also tells us about how salman got his first movie as a lead star in 'maine pyar kyu kiya' and his journey so far in bollywood.

10) There are some very rare photographs of Salman's forefathers and his family members, but most of the things is just various previous newspapers and magazines interviews of salman which the writer included in this book.

11) I will recommend that if u are a Salman Khan fan than you can go for this book, otherwise just borrow from someone or wait for an official biography/autobiography of Salman Khan.

I hope u like the review, thanks for reading Jai Hind.

[Rajath Kumar · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book, albeit woefully written, impressively chronicles the life of Salman and gives the reader insight into Salman's ancestry. It reveals his rather frivolous attitude towards relationships (which came as a shocker) and throws light on the black buck poaching case. What the book fails to do, is demystify the enigma that Salman Khan is, which I reckon would be the expectation of most readers reading this book.

[Vivek Dubey · Rating 5 out of 5]

He one of the most popular superstar of the world
He has many awards

[Paschalia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very very badly written…

[Niti Beri · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I saw Being Salman on the bookshelves of Oxford Book Store, my heart immediately reached for it, while my mind warned "there is nothing new this book will offer - Salman's life has already been ripped apart by the media, you already know it all". I nevertheless picked up the book - I had too, I am a FAN after all. But "BeingFan" was not the only reason. Jasim Khan's introduction of the book promised much more that a mere narration of Salman's controversial life. It promised to delve deep into Salman's lineage and social circumstances to help the readers better understand his personality.

Did the book live up to the expectations? Yes and No.

The first few chapters around Salman's ancestral roots and this childhood days are indeed interesting. Especially because, none of them have been covered extensively my media - why would they? No bit of it could be sensationized afterall.

The second half of the book, that talks about Salman's journey to stardom and controversies was not bad either. From Salman's first serious affair ( no it's not with Sangeeta Bijlani) to some twisted details about the blackbucks hunting case it has a lot of unknown facts to offer.

What was missing then? The author conspicuously ignores discussing the hit and run case, which is most controversial chapter in Salman's life so far.

Also, the author fails in putting together the different facets of Salman's life together to help the readers understand Salman's psyche better. Yes I agree that Salman's enigmatic personality is difficult to interpret but concluding the book by saying that Salman is the way he is because he is a true-blue Pathan is pretty lame to say the least.

PS: I love Salman all the more after reading this book.

[Soumi Dutta · Rating 2 out of 5]

Below average

The author claims to tell us why Salman is the way he is, but ultimately leaves the question to be solved by the readers. Bakwaas! More than half the book talks about the history of his ancestors and the "real" Salman gets very little mention.

[Gauravkumar]

i want to read this book because i want to know about bollywood stars and their lives.

[Siddhant Gala]

Below average. Digs way into the past.