25 Best Salman Khan Movies and Where To Watch Them
The son of legendary Bollywood screenwriter Salim Khan, Salman Khan carved his own niche in Hindi-language films as a leading man in romances, comedies, action thrillers, and a long line of remakes of South Indian films. Even if a considerable chunk of his latter movies has polarised critics, he gained favourable reactions from his devoted legions of fans who affectionately call him “Sallu Bhai”.
While he broke out thanks to romantic portrayals in Sooraj Barjatya’s family-friendly dramas in the 1990s (starting with Maine Pyaar Kiya), the Tiger 3 star successfully rebranded himself as an action star with successful franchises like Dabangg and the Tiger series (that kicked off the YRF Spy Universe). Every now and then, Khan also stars in comedies most of which present the actor’s amusingly eccentric slapstick timing.
Here’s a look at the very best of Salman Khan’s filmography.
In the mid-2010s, it seemed like Salman Khan was content only with no-brainer action flicks. And then came Bajrangi Bhaijaan, a cross-border drama powered by Khan’s heartwarming portrayal as the titular character. Khan’s Bajrangi is a naive Indian do-gooder who makes it his goal to safely get a lost Pakistani girl back to her homeland. Cherished by critics and audiences alike, Bajrangi Bhaijaan proves how Khan can balance adorable comedic timing and tear-jerking emotional prowess.
Sooraj Barjatya’s brand of ensemble family romances mostly played around with the idea that the entire household can join a romantic narrative instead of just the film’s lead pair. Hum Aapke Hai Koun… can arguably be his best work in this canon, showcasing some memorable performances from Salman Khan and Madhuri Dixit in the lead. Starting out with a meet-cute love story and then throwing in familial responsibilities to complicate the romance, Hum Aapke Hai Koun established 90s Bollywood tropes for many other romantic comedy dramas that followed.
The 2000s had been a turbulent era for Salman Khan with a hit-and-miss filmography. And then came Prabhu Deva’s Wanted which firmly established him as an action star. A remake of the Telugu blockbuster Pokiri, Wanted found Khan playing a lovable goon who goes against a powerful gangster. Wanted is also a cult classic for how it established South character actor Prakash Raj as the go-to bad guy in Bollywood
For the cynics who believe Salman Khan can’t be funny, Andaz Apna Apna will be enough to change their minds. He, along with fellow superstar Aamir Khan, played one-half of a streetsmart duo who navigate through absurd romances and outlandish mobsters in their quest to make money. Unabashedly slapstick in its approach, Andaz Apna Apna flopped in its time but has become a beloved classic over the years with quotable dialogues and unforgettable characters like Shakti Kapoor’s mustachioed Crime Master Gogo.
Maine Pyar Kiya was the movie that established Salman Khan as a leading man. While his pairing with heroine Bhagyashree went down as one of the most iconic Bollywood couples, the Sooraj Barjatya film also established the trope of familial differences obstructing a romance (a trope that would be fleshed out further with Bollywood hits like Shah Rukh Khan’s 1995 blockbuster Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge).
Marking the debut of Salman Khan’s Rayban-wearing vigilante cop Chulbul “Robinhood” Pandey, Dabangg subverted the mainstream Bollywood action by parodying the genre with self-aware humour. Dabangg is a notable highlight in Khan’s career as it allowed its leading man to take the joke on himself while shining as an action star in the 2010s.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s tragiromance Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam starts on a note comparable to Salman Khan’s previous collaborations with Sooraj Barjatya. But the way the story takes a drastic turn with heartbreak and loss, the 1999 film features Khan, Aishwarya Rai, and even Ajay Devgn (in a supporting appearance) at the best of their emotional capabilities.
The sports drama Sultan was released around a fitting time in Salman Khan’s career. With over-the-top action thrillers like Race 3, Jai Ho, and Kick to his name, Khan was being panned by critics and even some of his fans. Sultan proved how he still has what it takes to experiment with different projects. Set around a wrestler who aspires to move to MMA, Sultan doesn’t mindlessly glamorise its leading man. Instead, Salman Khan’s hero does go through moments of downfall, only to rise like a true Rocky-like underdog.
The film that kicked off the YRF Spy Universe is also one of the franchise’s finest offerings. Starring Khan as Indian secret agent Tiger and Katrina Kaif as his Pakistani counterpart Zoya, Ek Tha Tiger doubles as a nail-biting espionage thriller (with fair share of realistic action sequences) and an unexpected romance that allegorically represents cross-border peace.
Salman Khan has acted in many remakes of Hollywood and South Indian films but a film like Partner proves how he can add his own twist on the original source material. Stepping in for Will Smith’s casanova in this Hitch remake, Partner is steered by Khan’s effortless performance as a “love guru” and Govinda who plays an introverted man who seeks his help. Their collective chemistry gives Partner its own voice from merely reducing it to a Hollywood remake.
