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SWOT for Salman Khan: Identifying the strength, weakness, opportunities and threats for the box office Sultan
Decoding Salman Khan. The analysis of his superstardom, his probable shortfalls, the opportunity that looms in the market and the threats that can pull him down. Pinkvilla discusses
Over the years, SWOT analysis has been conventionally used to identify and analyze the Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats of an organization in the business world. It is among the most accepted principals, alongside PESTLE analysis, used in making a holistic business decision by the stakeholders. As a method, SWOT can be applied in all mediums of work, and in a first, we at Pinkvilla now bring this methodology to application for the top male and female stars of Bollywood. We start this segment with Salman Khan, and here’s decoding the factors that have worked in favour of, gone against as also, the opportunities waiting to be explored by bypassing the threats for the box office Sultan.
S: Strengths
A loyal fan following:
Salman Khan is among the rare actors in today’s time who commands a fan following that extends across the country, with an unprecedented reach in the interiors. The loyal fan following is a testimony of the fact the actor is on the top of the ladder right now in terms of stardom with as many as 16 films in the Rs 100 crore club. The fact that he has managed to do this for 16 consecutive times makes this achievement even bigger. None in Bollywood can boast of this achievement, and given the at present dynamics, it’s difficult for anyone to attain this feat in the near future. His loyal fan following is also a result of chain reaction of the on-ground word of mouth, that spreads due to his human side - helping nature, standing for the needy via the charitable activities.
Strong goodwill in the family audience:
Films like Maine Pyaar Kiya, Hum Aapke Hai Kaun, Hum Saath Saath Hai and Baghban, coupled with the “no kissing”, “no abuse” policy has worked wonders for Salman Khan, making him the hot favourite among the family audience. He is among those actors, whose films can be watched by entire family as an outing without any hesitation or awkward moments. The reruns of the aforementioned films on television, as put Salman in the pedestal of being the ideal “prem”.
W - Weakness
Too much dependence on remakes and sequels
A glance at Salman’s filmography since post the release of Sultan, and one can conclude that he is starting to slowly find a comfort zone by depending too much on remakes and sequel. Sultan was followed by Tubelight (Remake), Tiger Zinda Hai (Sequel), Race 3 (Sequel), Bharat (Remake), Dabangg 3 (Sequel), Radhe (Remake), Antim (Remake) and Tiger 3 (Sequel). While one may also call it dearth of creativity in Bollywood, and sequels aren’t as much an issue as remakes, but we have seen the magic that Salman can create in original films last decade with the likes of Dabangg (1), Ek Tha Tiger, Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Sultan. The Tiger franchise is one of those which creates genuine excitement and falls in the franchisee space, but that apart, we would love to see Salman in an original human drama, comedy or even a film in a different sub-set of action. How about a jungle adventure? How about a sci-fi or period epic?
O - Opportunity
Hunt for the right director
While there aren’t many directors in Bollywood at present, who can do justice to the aura of Salman, it’s time that the actor looks down south at the directors. Sukumar, AR Murugadoss, Puri Jagannadh, or many others from the southern industry, have the wish to collaborate with the actor once on a Pan-Indian film, primarily because, he is among the very few in Bollywood, who has the personality that gels well in their world of cinema. It’s time, Salman teams up with an able director who is a master at his craft and an actual captain of the ship, letting Salman off the stress to work all aspects of making a film. He can also elevate his reach down south, with his production house (SKF) coming on board as a presenter of the Hindi version of the promising Pan-India films.
Comedy in post covid times:
Salman has his own brand of humour, and he has seen success in the comic space with films like Judwaa, Biwi No. 1, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, No Entry, Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya, Partner and Ready to name a few. But since 2011, one is yet to see Salman jump into the comic space again. In the post covid times, comedy is a genre that would excel, and it well might be the right opportunity for him to get into this zone, and let go of his macho, action image.
Salman Khan, the unexplored actor
The superstardom has limited Salman from taking up characters with different arc, there still lies a lot for Salman Khan, the actor, to be explored. Two of his three blockbusters till date, Sultan and Bajrangi Bhaijaan, are more of a “drama” than “action”. His biggest opener till date, Bharat too falls in the “drama” space. The industry myth that Salman should do only action films needs to be broken, as he has over the years found success in all genres, and even today, he can draw the audience in all spaces. In-fact, his last release, an action film that too a franchise (Dabangg 3), didn’t do as well at the box-office. The concentration at the moment should be to sign on for “good films” rather than just “action”. And the good film can be anything – comedy, drama, rom-com, family or even action - that has the potential to breach the commercial sensibilities.
T - Threats
As Salim Khan once said, the biggest threat to Salman Khan is Salman Khan himself
With over 30 years of experience in the industry, the fan following will stay intact for Salman, but the wrong choices in terms of films might take a dent on the frequency of their visit to the big screen. If Salman signs on for interesting films, there would be no stopping him for the next 5 to 6 years, but if he comes on board below par and substandard products, the impact will be gradually seen on the box-office collections. He was indispensable till the release of Tiger Zinda Hai (2017) but there has been a slight dent in his standing post that due to the wrong choices like - hurriedly made “Race 3”, and poorly made “Dabangg 3”. The biggest threat for Salman is to not dilute his stardom by signing on for wrong films, or working with talents who are far off from deserving the opportunity of working with him.
On the work front, he will next be seen in Radhe, which is gearing up for an Eid 2021 release.
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