MUMBAI: Salman Khan and Prem are synonymous. Throughout the 1990’s, the various characters played by the ‘Dabangg’ Khan were avatars of Prem. And in 2014, he is all set to reprise the do-gooder character once again!
It has been learnt that Salman Khan will play Prem yet again in the sequel to ‘No Entry’, titled ‘No Entry Mein Entry’. And it sure looks like he is ready to dust off the virtuous lover-boy hero, and bring him back to life onscreen.
PREM FLASHBACK:
Over the years, Salman Khan has enthralled fans by playing Prem over and over again, in myriad forms.
Salman’s ‘Prem’ tales began way back in 1989, when the strapping young actor was catapulted into superstardom with the blockbuster ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’. The holier-than-thou character was appreciated as much for his vulnerability and sensitive side, as Salman was acclaimed for his bulging biceps.
Since then, Prem has been Salman’s go-to on-screen avatar, for when he wanted to portray his more sensitive, chocolate-boy hero side. While the 1994 cult classic ‘Andaz Apna Apna’ saw Salman’s comical Prem, later that year, Salman played the quintessential Prem in Sooraj Barjatya’s ‘Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!’.
So in a sense, Sooraj Barjatya really set the tone for Salman and Prem, and the filmmaker of family dramas even admitted that he could only envisage Salman as Prem for the longest time. Barjatya had also famously maintained that Prem is an extension of his own personality.
PREM PREM PREM PREM!
So now that we know how Prem came to be, here’s a look at Salman’s ‘Prem’ in various forms:
Judwaa (1997): Salman Khan played the sophisticated, foreign-returned Prem with aplomb, in this hilarious David Dhawan film about two twin brothers separated at birth.
Biwi No. 1 (1999): Another David Dhawan rib-tickler, another Prem. Salman played it naughty as the adulterous husband, who has an affair with the sexy Sushmita Sen, while his virtuous wife (Karisma Kapoor), waits patiently for him.
Hum Saath Saath Hain (1999): The end of the 1990’s, and Prem was resurrected in yet another Sooraj Barjatya clean family entertainer.
Chal Mere Bhai (2000): This time around, Salman ushered in the noughts, by portraying the cheeky, fun side of Prem, as Sanjay Dutt’s younger brother.
No Entry (2005): In this film, Salman ushered in a reinvented Prem- the one who has multiple affairs and is a philandering husband.
Partner (2007): This comedy was inspired by Will Smith starrer ‘Hitch’, in which Salman plays a “Love guru” version of Prem, who schools Govinda’s character on how to woo Katrina Kaif.
Ready (2011): Salman’s most recent outing as Prem was in this film, where he reinterprets the original character and makes him a jovial, cunning, fun-loving man.
