Apparently inspired by Aamir Khan, Bollywood star Salman Khan has launched a nationwide hunt for unsung heroes as he turns 44 Sunday to connect with the masses and also promote his forthcoming period film "Veer".

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The hunt - for young men and women who have performed heroic deeds which the nation doesn't know about - is one more effort by the actor in bridge-building and improving his image.

"Lately Salman has been going out of his way to connect with the masses. The idea to launch a contest on his birthday to search for unrecognised heroes came from Aamir Khan's recent connect-with-masses Bharat Darshan which he undertook as part of the promotion for '3 Idiots'," said a source close to the actor.