Main hu Superman, Salman ka fan

Salmans fitness is an integral part of his identity Itrsquos the myth that built the superstar When that viral photo of him with a belly bulge hit the internet in May this year fans panicked lsquoMy first thought was Is he depressed Why doesnrsquot he care about himself any morersquo his fan Sharib Khaimar told me Sharib is a 23yearold fitness trainer in a small village off Versova in Mumbai Hersquos been running a modest gym since he turned twenty teaching local kids the basics of bodybuilding Every morning they run on the Versova beach and if you are lucky you might see them play the most nailbiting game of football For Sharib Salmanrsquos chiselled body became the gold standard of manhood Thatrsquos why the viral photo hit him hard lsquoSalman is the reason I started working out in the first place When I saw that photo it felt like my hero had stopped caringrsquo he said adjusting the weights on a battered barbell lsquoIt felt like hersquod given up But I know everyone has tough times I hope he bounces back It might sound strange but Salmanrsquos body is not just his mdash itrsquos part of us too We own that myth of Salman Khan Of course hersquos allowed to age become fat catch his breath and lie low But this is a man who built his stardom on sweat and pushed all of us to take care of ourselves This is the man who knew the effect his barechested walk would have on both men and women To see him let go ishellip catastrophicrsquoIsnrsquot he being dramatic I casually queried lsquoDramaticrsquo he fired back his voice rising lsquoSalmanrsquos body is a national treasure When he rips off his shirt the entire country holds its breath You think wersquore overreacting Wersquore talking about the man who taught India how to dream of having a body like that Hersquos the original fitness God If he gives up itrsquos like the templersquos falling apartrsquoSalman went shirtless for the song O O Jaane Jaana Pyaar Kiya Toh Darna Kya because his shirts no longer fit his muscular body He accidentally ended up creating the shirtless Salman phenomenon PicFacebookSalman Khan Biggest FansWe were sitting in a dusty local gym in Versova gaon and there was a lifesize poster of Salman all veins and intensity staring down at us from a wall Next to the poster Salmanrsquos quote stands in bold his words thundering lsquoThe older you get the better you have to look the higher you have to kick the harder you have to workrsquoSharib tells me that his gym is a Salman centre He and his bantais blokes watch a Bhai film every day The evening we met they were to screen Wanted lsquoThis gym is my little shrine to Salman We are complete Salmaniacs Even when we work out we play his songs A lot of Salmanrsquos mania comes from his fitness There is an entire generation of men who grew up wanting to be him And he inspires us every day even when he isnrsquot in his best shape He has this burning drive in him Itrsquos Bhai woh sabko masal denge he will squash everyonersquo As a teenager Oindrilla Biswasrsquos name changed love for Salman was just about his looks She admits to me lsquoMen are never shy to admit how they love someone just for their looks But young girls back in the 1990s could not do so openly At least I couldnrsquot Everyone around me loved Shah Rukh because of how he made them feel I liked him too yes but he was never the kind of looker who would blow my mind Salman was that guy His face his smile and his body had a major role to play in drawing me in I love him in Karan Arjun He is brooding and sexy There is this obscure film with Neelam called Ek Ladka Ek Ladki which not many love but I loved Salman in it There is a throwaway scene in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai where he is doing pushups in which he seems so physically appealing Think of the 1990s and smalltown India As a teenager understanding sexuality was complex There was so much shame attached to dating We werenrsquot encouraged to speak to boys If we liked someone we would be grounded Salman was the first man I ever saw topless because no one else would show us what their bodies looked like Right after his smile got us giddy it was his bare chest and big biceps that made you crush on him He has a major role to play in my sexual awakeningThis might sound lusty but I mean it in the most matteroffact way I liked his body so much that it became an ideal for me Waxed chest toned muscles and a man who knows the effect he has on womenrsquoI tell her that Salman doesnrsquot wax Madhuri Dixit reportedly asked him during the shooting of Hum Aapke Hain Koun if he did and he replied unfazed lsquoI am a man I shave itrsquoIn case men are taking notes thatrsquos what Bhai doesExcerpted with permission from Salman Khan The Sultan of Bollywood by Mohar Basu Harper Collins Publishers IndiaDec 27Day in 1965 when Salman Khan was bornThe first shirtless manBefore he became the icon of machismo Salman was loved for his boynextdoor charm as Prem in films like Maine Pyar Kiya and Hum Aapke Hain Koun PicPradeep BandekarIn 1998 Salman Khanrsquos body became the only thing on both men and womenrsquos minds Behind his iconic song O O Jaane Jaana is the most charming story Having just bulked up some muscles the costume planned for him no longer fit him And so he just decided to go shirtless In the rsquo70s and rsquo80s the stars of the time like Rajesh Khanna were known for their melancholic smile or Amitabh Bachchan for his towering height Khan brought a revolution to Bollywood by bringing the muscular body at the forefront of his appeal Soon a film couldnrsquot truly be Bhairsquos if he wasnrsquot seen shirtless in it While this made Salman a favourite with the ladies it also started a gymming revolution among men who all dreamed to have a body like Bhairsquos Having a muscular body became a rite of passage for actors to truly become ldquoheroesrdquo postSalman Soon after Hrithik Roshan Shah Rukh Khan John Abraham all followed suit making their own 8pack abs