It’s been two weeks since Salman Khan, the legendary Indian actor and philanthropist, was in town to launch his Being Human clothing line and let me tell you, the excitement has still not died down. The cause continues to generate buzz and drive each of us with unparalleled passion. I was at the Masala! magazine’s Most Influential event two days back and people were constantly asking about Salman and his good work. Of all the charitable efforts we’ve made in the last 19 years, Being Human, which supports healthcare and education for people in need, has been the most talked-about and it’s received the most accolades from the industry.
As part of his trip to Dubai, Salman spent three days interacting with children, media, Splash and ICONIC staff and management as he spoke about Being Human, the cause he is most passionate about. The time was one of great learning for many of us, who not only witnessed the man’s humane side, but also his strong business acumen, uncanny wit and humour. Promoting the Being Human clothing line and the Being Human Foundation was foremost on his agenda; the projects needed to be highlighted to journalists so people can learn about them and contribute in their own way.
Not only did he talk at length to the region’s most popular media, he was sporting Being Human clothing throughout his visit, as is his habit. He said at one point, “If I can’t wear a design or a particular style, I do not expect the people to wear it”. An extension of his own personal style, Salman handpicked the collection that is available only at Splash & ICONIC stores across the GCC region.
In what might have been a first for a celebrity of his stature, Salman had heart-to-heart conversations with the Splash and ICONIC staff, right from the store staff to senior management, and told them all about how and why Being Human came to be. He also spoke about how Being Human can be made into a successful business model and how maximum funds can be generated to provide education and healthcare for people in need.
By the second day, all of us were in awe of this man who was going around making a difference to the lives of everybody he was meeting. The stories we had heard about his love for kids were about to unfold in front of our eyes as Salman eagerly walked into the Rashid Paediatric Therapy Centre at 11.30 a.m., sharp. Who says celebrities can’t keep their appointments?
A 30-minute visit turned into a three-hour heart-warming afternoon that’s firmly etched in the minds of everybody who saw Salman effortlessly interact with the special-needs kids. He played games like cricket and football, and happily joined the kids for a specially choreographed performance of his most popular songs. Salman also sang with the children and even sketched for them before leaving with a wide grin on his face.
The third day of his visit was the press conference and we were all a little nervous, thinking we had tired Salman with visits and interviews. But no, there he was, walking in ready to talk to the region’s media, ensuring that they all went back with just one tale to tell: Being Human.
After a 1 hour 15 minute Q&A with plenty of the man’s signature wit and quirky smile, it was time for him to meet his fans who were patiently waiting at Splash and ICONIC stores for their hero. The crowds had lined up since 2 p.m., almost two hours before Salman was scheduled to arrive. His arrival brought forth a mass cheer, with everyone flocking and pushing to catch a glimpse of the man who has enthralled millions for more than two decades – and who is still India’s most-eligible bachelor.
The response was phenomenal, Salman wanted to walk around the store, see his collection and interact with fans, but he had to make a quick exit when he saw two women faint because of excessive pushing, elders being shoved and kids being thrust in the crowd just to get closer. He asked people to calm down and was pained to see the excessive pushing and pulling just to get to him, which led him to make quick, memorable appearances at Splash in Mall of the Emirates and at ICONIC at Deira City Centre. Even short visits were enough to drive the fans crazy and Being Human merchandise sales went up by a substantial percentage.
Looking back with some perspective, now that it’s been half a month since Salman Khan was here, it’s clearer than ever that his appeal and popularity is unbelievable. The interest in him and support for him transcend beyond his movies and into his personal life, his fashion choices – and more importantly his human side, which connects him to people across ages, genders and most definitely nationalities.
We were moved time and again by Salman Khan’s compassion and level of caring for people in need. In a bid to add more to the cause, in addition to royalties from sales of Being Human clothes, Splash and ICONIC will also donate AED 1 to the Being Human Foundation for each garment sold.
Salman Khan was tired. The legendary actor was scheduled to spend an hour with special-needs children, but he stayed for three hours of talking, dancing, creating art and playing cricket with the young people. From there, interview after interview after interview with media people from a bunch of countries to talk about his Being Human clothing line. All profits from the collection, which just debuted in Splash across the UAE, go to provide healthcare and education for people in need.
We got a little time – squeezed in for five minutes max – with the man who’s made some 80 movies in 24 years. The 46-year-old was relaxed in a big chair in a tucked-away corner of a Dubai hotel. He went way beyond 300 seconds, though, to talk with a soft-spoken intensity about the children and teachers he’d met, the Being Human Foundation, the need for all of us to care about people and about how he feels as he gets ever closer to being 50.
“The kids were so full of love and the teachers were incredible”, he said, his voice deep, words thoughtful. Somebody who can do that kind of work with special-needs children can do anything.
“The compassion those people have for other people, it’s very rare. One small act of compassion is supposed to be this act of greatness, but it shouldn’t be like that. We should all be compassionate”.
Such was his thinking in starting the Being Human Foundation, which includes the clothing line and several other facets. Like the man himself, Being Human clothes emerged from humble origins.
“It started really small with one little shops selling shirts with my artwork”, Khan recalled, but unauthorized versions promptly appeared all over the place. He was and is disgusted, but he realized that Being Human clothes had serious potential.
Now he’s working with Splash and the mostly casual clothes for men and women are in Splash stores, which are fast approaching 150 in number.
“It’s amazing to work with such a big company and get our message out”, emphasising that all profits go to the Being Human Foundation. “People should understand that no money from this is going into our pockets. It’s going straight to the charity”.
Helping people’s at the heart of it, but crafting clothing’s a fresh, change-of-pace creative outlet, said the immensely popular actor – he has more than 4.3 million likes on Facebook, almost 2.3 million followers on Twitter – whose latest film, Ek Tha Tiger, opens on 15 August.
“The next season, we’ll do more types of clothes and we’ll do things with my artwork on it,” promised Khan. “It’s something I like to do, to be creative this way. Usually people follow the same styles and designers. Why not do something you feel like doing”?
Khan has much to do in a life that’s about as uncommon and common as it gets. Like a lot of people in their 40s, he listens to music on his iPad and uses it to play Angry Birds with his nephews, keeps in touch with people via two Blackberries and ties, with a success rate that’s less than 100%, he admitted, to stick with a healthy diet.”
The diet is pretty good nowadays – nowadays,” he spent three days on the go in Dubai. It’s strange. It’s difficult to be older. When you’re young and grow older, you expect to run faster and kick higher, eat less, look better. It’s a difficult task now.
“Interviews make me tired now”, he said with a small, sly grin.
Point taken. Our five minutes had become 20 and the man had been talking non-stop for almost three hours.
Making it clear that a moment’s light teasing was over, Khan looked up with one of those deep, serious expressions that have attracted millions of fans for decades and spoke of what really matters.
“Look; life is so good, but what I say to people is that you don’t have to start a charity or make movies or anything like that to have an amazing life and a good life, and you shouldn’t feel guilty when you live your life. Just help other people.”
Salman Khan, a true cinematic and cultural icon, is one of the few people who are loved and supported across generations and across masses and classes. He is also a man who supports the cause of philanthropy without expectations. Over the years he has gained the reputation of being a great friend and a good human being.
A few years back, Salman envisioned a foundation that would support the underprivileged; he created Being Human, a lifestyle brand at the front and a registered charitable trust at the back. All royalties go to support the twin causes of education and healthcare for the needy.
Being Human is an integral part of Salman’s life. He is personally involved in building the brand and extending it to a collection that is hip, cool and funky – and one where the message stands out loud and clear. In Salman’s own words, wearing Being Human means you “look good, do good” because you help people by the simple act of slipping on your clothes every day.
Salman’s passion and love for the brand ensures that he not only wears the product, but also signs off every style, which guarantees his connection with the customer and the product.
His gentle nature has always been recognized by one and all, but I believe that by establishing this foundation and the brand, Salman has made himself immortal. With Being Human merchandise receiving support all across, Salman has further ventured into Being Human Art, which is yet again an extension of his personality and skills.
I strongly believe that the best way to raise awareness of the cause is by wearing the brand. Affordable yet making a definite style statement like all Splash clothing, the Being Human collection, which includes tees, shirts, cargos, etc., will give you a chance to contribute to the Being Human Foundation. He has created one of the few initiatives that beautifully combine fashion and charity.
All you fashion-savvy people, get ready to rock the collection and support the cause in style.
May God bless Salman and all of you who support his efforts.
Even Salman Khan’s worst critics recognize that he is the biggest star in Bollywood today. In what has possibly been the one of the most glorious periods ever in this industry, Salman has delivered three huge blockbusters between Sep 2010 & Sep 2011, in Dabangg, Ready and Bodyguard. Many of his diehard fans privately recognize that none of these were cinematic masterpieces. But they worked purely on the charisma of their lead star. Take Salman Khan out of them, and there will be no Dabangg, no Ready, no Bodyguard.
So exactly how big is the Salman phenomenon? How far ahead of the pack is he, today?
We started tracking star popularity through our product Stars India Loves (SIL) from November 2010 onwards. Every month, a large sample of cine-goers is asked to name their two favorite male and female stars each. Unlike some other star ratings based on the box office, SIL is based purely on the consumer’s preference for the stars at that particular point of time. Hence, it is future-oriented in nature.
Since the SIL research asks people to name two stars, the total percentage share of all the stars adds up to 200. The chart below shows Salman’s month-on-month progression on SIL. As can be seen, even two months after the release of Dabangg, he was at 34%, just 3% ahead of Shahrukh Khan at 31%. If we back-project, it is safe to say that till August 2010, Shahrukh would have been ahead of Salman. But since then, Salman has simply bulldozed his way to the top, widening the gap, month-on-month. Shahrukh is still no. 2 in October 2011, at 27% share. But the 3% gap is now a staggering 25%.
The chart illustrates that his journey over the last year has been in two parts. The Dabangg phenomenon gave him ascendency till February this year, where he peaked at 46%. And just as his share was beginning to saturate, Ready gave it another fillip, this time a huge one, taking him past the 50% mark. Bodyguard couldn’t take it further up, but even two months after its release, Salman shows no signs of losing share.
Who did Salman grab this 18% share from? No one person lost a sizeable chunk. But four stars lost some share in this period. Aamir Khan and Ranbir Kapoor (till Rockstar) have not had a major release for a while now. Amitabh Bachchan has had a very lean year by his busy standards. The only “real” drop in share has been Akshay Kumar’s, who moved down from 24% in April 2011, to 16% now, losing three ranks within six months, down from no. 3 to no. 6.
Which target audience is he the strongest in? That’s probably the secret behind his success – he is appealing to every single target segment today, equally well. He crosses 50% share amongst males, females, youth, adults, and in each research market. All other stars are skewed towards a particular audience profile. For example, Shahrukh, Ranbir & Shahid are heavily female audience skewed. While Ajay, Devgn, Akshay and Aamir are male audience skewed. But not Salman. Evidently, everyone loves him. Just about everyone.
2012 is another big year for Salman. Ek Tha Tiger and Dabangg 2 release on Eid and Christmas respectively. It may be difficult to gain too much share beyond the 52% he currently controls, but it is safe to say that 2012 won’t end on a lower number either.
The best part about Salman’s success is that he seems entirely untouched by it. Though sometimes, I wish he understood the amount of people power that rests with him today, and used it to make better, more path-breaking films.
But then, if we don’t have four action scenes, five songs, six comedy gags and seven clap traps, it is not a Salman Khan film, right?
