As news filtered out that a sessions court in Mumbai had convicted Salman Khan for killing one person in a drunk-driving incident in 2002, one establishment near the site of the crime down its shutters in solidarity with the beleaguered Bollywood star. Bhaijaanz, a multicuisine restaurant opened in March by five dedicated Salman Khan fans and named after the term of endearment by which the actor is known, put up a morose sign: “We are shut for today sorry.”
The owners were nowhere to be seen, but a waiter behind the locked gate said hurriedly that the eatery was closed in respect for the verdict.
Tucked into one end of Bandra, around 15 minutes from Khan’s house and the bakery where the actor ran his vehicle over sleeping workers, Bhaijaanz serves Khan’s favourite Moroccan dishes, Continental and North Indian fare. It has several unflattering reviews on the food website Zomato.
Down the road from Bhaijaanz is the Smokin’ Joes pizza delivery service that claims to have served the Khan family for almost 20 years. Khan’s father Salim and sister Arpita are particularly fond of pizza, said Ashok Kashyap, the restaurant manager. He says he has met the entire family on several occasions.
There were no customers in the tiny space on Wednesday afternoon, but the television was turned to a news channel and a cluster of local restaurant owners gathered around it, keenly interested in the fate of their customer. In their view, Khan is a protector to Bandra residents.
One of these fans was the local chicken supplier, Shamsher, who also provides chicken to Bhaijaanz. He rattled off a list of Khan’s munificent deeds. Khan funds an orphanage, he gives loans freely, someone approached him for a loan of Rs 1 lakh for cancer treatment and Khan paid the full cost of Rs 6 lakh to cover his radiation at an upmarket hospital. The list of beneficiaries, said Shamsher, is as long as Khan’s pockets are deep.
Kashyap was dismayed at the news of his conviction.
“He is a man of the heart,” he said. “Even if he killed one man, think of the 100 who will now die without his help. Sitting in jail, how will he earn money?”
Ronak Patel, manager of a catering store around the corner, was slightly more sceptical. “What sort of help has he given?” he countered. “He gave Chunky Pandey an Audi. He calls himself a hero, but none of these people are heroes, they all do it for themselves.”
He laughed. “But he will be my hero if he gives me a loan of Rs 50 lakh to expand this business.”
The regulars
Back at Galaxy Apartments, where Khan lives, the crowd of his regular stalkers, who usually number a dozen or so on weekdays, had swelled to around 100 and a dozen media representatives.
Many of these had put their work on hold for this vigil and an almost-certain chance of catching a glimpse of the star. One of them was Sunita Pathare, a freelance nurse from the distant suburb of Nalasopara. The moment she heard the news in the morning, she skipped her shift with a patient in Bandra to wait outside Galaxy Apartments.
Pathare had been fasting all day. She plans to keep roza for the actor for a month from June 19, at the start of Ramzan.
“Pray that there will be good news for him,” she said. “He is just a person, he is not a god, so he might have made a mistake. But he regrets it and even the wife and son of that person have said that he is helping them.”
Pitched in Rizwan Khan, also from Mumbai, “ “This is a blind justice. He should not go to jail. He is a good actor, he is a good human being. They should catch other people who break the law.”
Further proof of Khan’s goodness, Rizwan offered, was that he was a family man. “He is the only star to live with his parents, he is a good person and unlike so many others, he has not moved out yet.”
Others were less than convinced.
“He has done something wrong so he should accept the verdict,” said a friend of Khan’s who did not want to be identified. “If we let one celebrity get away, then all others will also get away. What is the meaning of our Constitution then? But he should not get such a long sentence, that is all.”
Media drama
Drama continued at a healthy pace. Television journalists hustled people together and urged them to loudly denounce the verdict. Some took advantage of the heavy media presence to gain exposure. One was Navin “Raj Chauhan”, an aspiring actor from Hyderabad, who came to the city two days earlier to witness the verdict.
“My father is dead and my mother does not want me so I hold only Prithviraj Chauhan as my father,” he said, explaining his name. “Even Bhai cannot play that role.”
Chauhan however, felt himself equal to any Bollywood star. As people watched bemused, he strutted up and down the side of the road enacting postures made famous by various stars for the benefit of television cameras.
“My sister’s exam is in two days,” he said. “I have to go back before that. But for now, I will show my support for Bhai.”
Yet another cameraman approached and asked him for a sound bite. He obliged and took a deep breath.
“Salman Khan cannot be guilty, I say he is not guilty and we will not accept any verdict that he is guilty” he said. “Look at his humanity, look at how much he has given people. We know he cannot have done...”
Mirroring a Khan move, he wiped the sweat off his face and flicked it contemptuously at the people around him.
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The owners were nowhere to be seen, but a waiter behind the locked gate said hurriedly that the eatery was closed in respect for the verdict.
Tucked into one end of Bandra, around 15 minutes from Khan’s house and the bakery where the actor ran his vehicle over sleeping workers, Bhaijaanz serves Khan’s favourite Moroccan dishes, Continental and North Indian fare. It has several unflattering reviews on the food website Zomato.
Down the road from Bhaijaanz is the Smokin’ Joes pizza delivery service that claims to have served the Khan family for almost 20 years. Khan’s father Salim and sister Arpita are particularly fond of pizza, said Ashok Kashyap, the restaurant manager. He says he has met the entire family on several occasions.
A news clipping about deliveries to Salman Khan holds pride of place near the entrance of Smokin’ Joes.
There were no customers in the tiny space on Wednesday afternoon, but the television was turned to a news channel and a cluster of local restaurant owners gathered around it, keenly interested in the fate of their customer. In their view, Khan is a protector to Bandra residents.
One of these fans was the local chicken supplier, Shamsher, who also provides chicken to Bhaijaanz. He rattled off a list of Khan’s munificent deeds. Khan funds an orphanage, he gives loans freely, someone approached him for a loan of Rs 1 lakh for cancer treatment and Khan paid the full cost of Rs 6 lakh to cover his radiation at an upmarket hospital. The list of beneficiaries, said Shamsher, is as long as Khan’s pockets are deep.
Kashyap was dismayed at the news of his conviction.
“He is a man of the heart,” he said. “Even if he killed one man, think of the 100 who will now die without his help. Sitting in jail, how will he earn money?”
Ronak Patel, manager of a catering store around the corner, was slightly more sceptical. “What sort of help has he given?” he countered. “He gave Chunky Pandey an Audi. He calls himself a hero, but none of these people are heroes, they all do it for themselves.”
He laughed. “But he will be my hero if he gives me a loan of Rs 50 lakh to expand this business.”
The regulars
Back at Galaxy Apartments, where Khan lives, the crowd of his regular stalkers, who usually number a dozen or so on weekdays, had swelled to around 100 and a dozen media representatives.
Many of these had put their work on hold for this vigil and an almost-certain chance of catching a glimpse of the star. One of them was Sunita Pathare, a freelance nurse from the distant suburb of Nalasopara. The moment she heard the news in the morning, she skipped her shift with a patient in Bandra to wait outside Galaxy Apartments.
Pathare had been fasting all day. She plans to keep roza for the actor for a month from June 19, at the start of Ramzan.
“Pray that there will be good news for him,” she said. “He is just a person, he is not a god, so he might have made a mistake. But he regrets it and even the wife and son of that person have said that he is helping them.”
Pitched in Rizwan Khan, also from Mumbai, “ “This is a blind justice. He should not go to jail. He is a good actor, he is a good human being. They should catch other people who break the law.”
Further proof of Khan’s goodness, Rizwan offered, was that he was a family man. “He is the only star to live with his parents, he is a good person and unlike so many others, he has not moved out yet.”
Others were less than convinced.
“He has done something wrong so he should accept the verdict,” said a friend of Khan’s who did not want to be identified. “If we let one celebrity get away, then all others will also get away. What is the meaning of our Constitution then? But he should not get such a long sentence, that is all.”
Media drama
Drama continued at a healthy pace. Television journalists hustled people together and urged them to loudly denounce the verdict. Some took advantage of the heavy media presence to gain exposure. One was Navin “Raj Chauhan”, an aspiring actor from Hyderabad, who came to the city two days earlier to witness the verdict.
“My father is dead and my mother does not want me so I hold only Prithviraj Chauhan as my father,” he said, explaining his name. “Even Bhai cannot play that role.”
Chauhan however, felt himself equal to any Bollywood star. As people watched bemused, he strutted up and down the side of the road enacting postures made famous by various stars for the benefit of television cameras.
“My sister’s exam is in two days,” he said. “I have to go back before that. But for now, I will show my support for Bhai.”
Yet another cameraman approached and asked him for a sound bite. He obliged and took a deep breath.
“Salman Khan cannot be guilty, I say he is not guilty and we will not accept any verdict that he is guilty” he said. “Look at his humanity, look at how much he has given people. We know he cannot have done...”
Mirroring a Khan move, he wiped the sweat off his face and flicked it contemptuously at the people around him.
