New Delhi: There are many people that contribute to a film becoming a blockbuster. Often in the fan frenzy surrounding the lead protagonist, in this case, the inimitable Salman Khan, the team that pitched in with the screenplay, the musical score, the cinematography, the stunts and the direction takes a back seat.
Four of Salman's films have crossed the Rs 100 crore nett mark, establishing him as one of Bollywood's safest bets. That he is approaching 50, is immaterial. Salman's popularity has been soaring since he reinvented himself as a mass entertainer in 'Dabangg'. He's not had to look back since then. 'Ready', 'Bodyguard' and 'Ek Tha Tiger' followed in quick succession, each capturing a market where there is no mega successful alternative to the three Khans - Salman, Aamir and Shah Rukh.
But behind Salman's success is a smoothly efficient team of talented artistes. So here's a hat tip to the people who made Rs 100 crore seem an achievable target.
Dabangg
Abhinav Kashyap: It all came down to director Abhinav Kashyap's intuitive casting. Chulbul Pandey, the goofy cop played by Salman, is the very blood of Dabangg and despite considering other actors for the role, Kashyap settled for Salman to play the role. Arbaaz Khan, who played Salman's step brother in the film, was also Kashyap's choice.
Mahesh Limaye: Remember the exotic locations of Dubai? Limaye was the cinematographer for Dabangg, which was also the first film to be shot in the Khalid Bin Al Waheed station in Dubai.
Lalit Pandit and Sajid-Wajid: Lalit, of the famous Jatin-Lalit duo, was born into the Mewati gharana of Jodhpur in Rajasthan, and is a nephew of classical exponent Pandit Jasraj. He, along with Sajid and Wajid composed the music for Dabangg which was the high point for the film.
S Vijayan: The action sequences were choreographed byVijayan, who was also the stunt director for Wanted.
Raju Khan and Shabina Khan: They handled the dancy choreography, including Salman's famous hip thrust. Special mention of Farah Khan who choreographed the all-time hit item number 'Munni Badnaam Hui'.
Singers Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Mamta Sharma, Aishwarya Nigam, Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghoshal, Sukhwinder Singh, Wajid, Master Saleem and Shabab Sabri infused life into the fantastic scores of Sajid-Wajid and Lalit.
Ready
Sunil Patel and Thomas Xavier: The beautiful beaches of Sri Lanka was captured by the cinematography of the duo.
Zarine Khan: Though she is yet to bag a substantial film role, Zarine Khan entirely rocked the song "Character Dheela", which became a hit much before the release of the film.
Sajid - Farhad: Ask anyone, the highlight of any Salman Khan film is the snappy dialogue that makes you laugh. Sajid and Farhad wrote the dialogue for Ready.
Rajiv Kaul, Ikram Akhtar and Rajan Agarwal: Wrote the screenplay of Ready. Ikram also worked in films such as 'Chal Mere Bhai' and 'Joru Ka Gulam'.
Gopimohan and Kona Venkat: Gopimohan, of 'Dookudu' fame, is a well known Telugu story writer.
Pritam and Devi Sri Prasad: The 33-year-old Devi Sri Prasad is a rising talent in the South. He has many successful films to his credit. He is also a playback singer in Telugu and Tamil films.
Anees Bazmee: Last but not the least, the director of numerous hit films, including 'No Entry', 'Welcome' and 'Singh is Kinng', Bazmee delivered an action packed entertainer that tickled the funny bones of millions of Salman fans. The master of the slapstick genre, Bazmee's success with Ready came as no surprise to those who have seen his 'No Problem' and 'Thank You'.
Bodyguard
Siddique: The director of Malayalam cinema had made Bodyguard in both Malayalam and Tamil (Kaavalan). The silly but entertaining comedy starred Salman in the role of, well, a bodyguard of a daughter of a strongman.
Himesh Reshammiya, Pritam and Sandeep Shirodkar: Though it lacked the punch of 'Dabangg', the music of Bodyguard still went on to become a hit.
Vijayan: Salman's good friend and a popular South Indian stunt master, is responsible for the high voltage action scenes in Salman's 'Dabangg', 'Wanted' and even ‘Bodyguard’.
Ash King, Clinton Cerejo, Mika Singh, Amrita Kak, Alam Gir Khan, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Shreya Ghoshal are the singers of 'Bodyguard'.
Ek Tha Tiger
Kabir Khan: Unlike many of Salman's directors, Kabir Khan has only two notable films to his credit - New York (2009) and Kabul Express (2006). But 'Ek Tha Tiger' has catapulted the director into the big league.
Neelesh Misra: The songwriter has written the screenplay of Ek Tha Tiger along with Kabir Khan.
Aditya Chopra: He likes to keep a low profile, but producer, screenwriter and director Aditya Chopra of the 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge' (1995), 'Mohabbatein' (2000), and 'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi' (2008) fame has written the story of 'Ek Tha Tiger'.
Aseem Mishra: In the stunning background of Dublin, Iraq and Istanbul, Aseem Mishra's cinematography stands out.
Sohail Sen: The music of Ek Tha Tiger with many numbers that stand out was scored by Sen who earlier composed for 'Sirf', 'What's Your Raashee?' and 'Mere Brother Ki Dulhan'.
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