MEGASTAR SALMAN KHAN for me is once in a lifetime commitment & not just some option I chose to be a fan off out of peer pressure or to show off.
The connection was there since I was a kid where one of the fondest memories for my entire family was me singing the songs of Maine Pyar Kiya especially Dil Deewana when I first learnt to speak. It is a never ending feeling when every relative of your's has that memory with them & they relate to that everytime Salman Khan is mentioned.
Entire 90's went with me quoting him whenever I was asked, "whose fan am I?", even though 1998 introduced me to Titanic. Afterall how much can a 10 year old can gauge the term "FAN"?
It was only then being a FAN started gaining more importance. The reciprocating of that feeling of being a FAN came out evidently. It stopped being limited to watching his films or dancing to his songs. Ofcourse, there was never an attempt of apeing his hairstyle or dressing style. Being a Bhai fan also got synonymous with being a gym freak which I am not.
Here is me listing my madness for the Megastar over various moments of my life growing up -
- Jaan-E-Mann. A movie I am madly in love with. Only movie I've watched 4 times with twice I caught back to back shows. After Titanic this was the movie which I felt running back to the theater right after finishing the show. The reaction of people when they see you coming out of the theater & going back to the ticket counter to buy another ticket for the next show was priceless.
- Salaam-E-Ishq which was released a week late in Mysore. Travelled 33 kms to make it to the FDFS as I couldn't find the ticket in the first theater I visited. I spent all the money to travel to another theater. Why crazy? Student days, empty pocket. No money to buy anything to eat as I had spent everything for auto fare & movie ticket. I had walked back all the way from theater to home which was 16kms. My companion throughout the walk were the songs of Salaam-E-Ishq.
- Watching movie Partner. This I had shared earlier. It was exam day. The exam was at 9. I left at 10:30am & made it to 11am fdfs whose ticket I bought in black. First time in life to do this amidst final exam. Thus, started my trend of watching Salman starrers in Shree Nagaraja theater in Mysore where Bhai is literally worshipped. Though the usual celebration was missed during this movie.
- Salman Khan - Shah Rukh Khan fight happened. They parted ways & so did I. Had stopped watching Shah Rukh Khan films in theaters which lasted for 5 years, ending with me watching Chennai Express in 2013. This was also the case with John Abraham which ended in 2016 with Dishoom.
- Ready. Final year engineering exam period. Repeating the Partner madness but ofcourse didn't run from the exam but did watch it while having few subjects exams scheduled for the next few days.
- Kick. 2nd Hindi film after Jaan-E-Mann which I watched 4 times in theater. 2nd Hindi film which I watched 2 shows in a single day.
- 2015 case verdict. I had an interview on that day & I got it postponed because I was not in the mood of course had to lie but I never got called back by that company again. I came back home & was glued to TV until Salman reached back home from the court. Not for a minute I moved. It was only till that moment where he came up to the balcony with his family & waved, I got back to my real self. The effect I have on my family that the whole evening till he appeared on the balcony, all of us were glued to television.
- Bajrangi Bhaijaan. The idea of getting a film like this from Salman Khan is simply epic. This remained the most watched Hindi film in theaters for me.
- Sultan. Easily beat Bajrangi Bhaijaan to be the current Indian film which I have watched the most number of times in theaters. 3rd Hindi film where I caught screening twice in a single day.
- Tiger Zinda Hai. The idea of travelling 1000kms to Mumbai & catch the first day first show in Chandan Cinema with the fan club & the familiar faces I used to watch in those first day first show public review videos on YouTube.
- Case verdict again in 2018. This time I was at work. And that day till noon, me & another colleague just couldn't work. The craziest as far as work life is concerned, I cancelled two of my official meetings that day because of it. And the stress continued for days this time.
- Race 3. Why? I watched it twice in theater. Infact I don't think I would do anything more crazier than this.
- 2018 I decided to watch only those films starring Salman Khan or produced by Salman Khan Films in theaters. Hurtful decision but I did manage that last year. Same is being followed this year too so far even though the idea of skipping Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota on 21st March is pricking.
- Being Human Stores. Not to boast, this madness started in 2017 to regularly shop in Being Human stores. Though, the jeans are not something I prefer to buy as they aren't office-worthy.
- Being Human tie up with PVR. One of the reason why I am regular visitor to PVR cinemas. No more booking on BMS as I don't get to donate to Being Human so this led me to install PVR app. Just Being Loyal.
- Whistling Woods. My stay there, I have informed everyone I met about whose fan I am. Infact it is his posters I clicked pics with there. Even though I couldn't muster the courage to have a word with Subhash Ghai [he was unwell that day] but a further more proper interaction with Meghana Ghai Puri instead of formal greetings then I would have informed her too.