Salman Khan Filmography Analysis - 14 Blockbusters and 14 Bumper Openers make him the Box Office Sultan

In this article, we have tried to break down Salman Khan's filmography and have also tried dissecting every phase of the actor's momentous movie career.

By Rishil Jogani

Updated on Mar 12, 2023 | 11:22 PM IST | 1.8M

Filmography analysis of Salman Khan (Credit: Salman Khan Instagram)

Salman Khan is one of the most popular and recognised faces in the Indian Movie Industry. With a career spanning across 5 decades and 35 years, the actor has built a loyal fan-following for himself, which has only grown with every passing year. Salman Khan will be seen in a couple of films this year, namely, Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan and Tiger 3, and the success of these films will establish the actor as a rare mainstream artist with a 34 year hit-movie range. In this article, we will dissect the filmography of the Sultan of Bollywood - the highs, the lows, the hits and the flops.

Salman Khan's first solo lead hero film emerged a historic blockbuster (Credit: Rajshri Productions)

Salman Khan's First Film In The Lead Role Went Onto Become A Historic Success

Salman Khan made his debut in Bollywood as a supporting character, in the film Biwi Ho To Aisi. The film did not succeed but it marked the entry of the new age superstar who was going to shatter many records in the times to come. His immediate next film, right before the fall of 1990, Maine Pyaar Kiya, emerged a historic theatrical success and was also a trendsetter for the films that followed.

Hum Aapke Hai Koun is the biggest Indian hit in the last 40 years (Credit: Rajshri Productions)

Hum Aapke Hai Koun Went Onto Become The Highest Grossing Indian Film

The success of Maine Pyaar Kiya was followed by a string of majorly successful films, namely Baaghi, Sanam Bewafa, Patthar Ke Phool and Saajan, with the exception of Kurbaan, that bit the dust at the box office. The phase after that was a dull one, as the actor gave 6 flops on the trot. But, it was just before the record-breaking success of Hum Aapke Hai Koun, which changed the Indian movie dynamics forever. The film emerged as the highest grossing Indian film and held that record for 7 years, before it was domestically crossed by Gadar and worldwide by Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. The tickets sold by Hum Aapke Hai Koun are the highest since the 1990s and the adjusted India nett of the film goes well beyond Rs 1000 crores.

Salman Khan gave many memorable from of 1995 (Credit: Tips Music)

The Phase From 1995 To 2000 Gave Salman Khan Some Of His Most Loved Films

The time after Hum Aapke Hai Koun was sort of a mixed bag for the actor as he saw successes as well as failures in equal measure. The most prominent success in this phase was Karan-Arjun, co-starring Shah Rukh Khan. The film set an opening record and went onto become the second highest grossing Indian film, until it was surpassed by Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. Other memorable and successful films starring Salman Khan in this phase were Jeet, Judwaa, Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya, Jab Pyaar Kissi Se Hota Hai, Bandhan, Biwi No.1, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Hum Saath Saath Hai.

Salman Khan had a few successful films even in the lowest patch of his filmy career (Credit: T-Series)

2000 To 2009 Accounted As A Troubling Phase For Salman Khan Where Only A Handful Films Justified The Stardom Of The Actor

The actor went hit-less for almost 5 years, between 2000 and mid-2004, with the exception of a couple of average grossers. The actor went through some personal setbacks and that took a toll on his professional career. There was some consolidation after that, with films like Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, No Entry, Partner and Wanted, but most of the other films couldn't find an audience to justify the calibre of Salman Khan.

Dabangg changed the dynamics of Salman Khan's career and the rest is history (Credit: T-Series)

The Dynamics For Salman Khan Changed With Dabangg And The Rest Is History

Equations changed after 2010, with the release of Dabangg and the rest as they say is history. The period post 2010 can be regarded as the best phase by any Indian actor, where the actor churned blockbusters for fun. This phase had it all, be it bumper openers, record openers, highest yearly grossers, classics and more, with the only exception of an all time grosser. The 9 year glorious phase constituted of films like Dabangg, Ready, Bodyguard, Ek The Tiger, Dabangg 2, Jai Ho, Kick, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Sultan, Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, Tiger Zinda Hai, Race 3 and Bharat. Only a couple of films didn't do well by the actor's standards, but they were Rs 100 crore nett India grossers too, a number most films still fail to reach.

Salman Khan's upcoming movie releases are keenly awaited (Credit: Salman Khan Instagram)

Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ka Jaan And Tiger 3 Are Keenly Awaited Salman Khan Films

Post Covid-19 pandemic, the actor hasn't had much to offer. Radhe released digitally and Antim: The Final Truth, with him in a strong supporting role, didn't find takers. The actor's next couple of films, Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan and Tiger 3 are very keenly awaited and their theatrical prospects are very high too, as they present the actor according to his stature. Salman Khan has a very loyal fan following for over a decade now and it seems pretty certain that they will be by him, right till the very end.