Salim Khan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Salim Khan
Khan in August 2012
Born	(1935-11-24) 24 November 1935 (age 89) Indore, Indore State, British India (present-day Madhya Pradesh, India)
Occupation	Actor film producer screenwriter
Years active	1959–Present
Spouse(s)	Salma Khan (Sushila Charak) ​ (m. 1964)​ Helen ​ (m. 1981)​
Children	5 (including Salman Khan, Arbaaz Khan, Alvira Khan Agnihotri, Sohail Khan)
Relatives	See Khan family

Salim Abdul Rashid Khan (born November 24, 1935) is a famous Indian actor, film producer, and screenwriter. He wrote many stories and scripts for Bollywood movies. He is well-known for being one half of the amazing screenwriting team called Salim–Javed. The other half was Javed Akhtar.

Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar were among the first Indian screenwriters to become stars in Hindi cinema. They are considered some of the most successful Indian screenwriters ever. When they worked together, Salim Khan usually created the stories and characters. Javed Akhtar was mostly in charge of writing the dialogues.

The Salim-Javed team changed Indian cinema in the 1970s. They created the idea of the Bollywood blockbuster movie. They also started new types of films like the masala film. Salim Khan helped create the "angry young man" character, often played by Amitabh Bachchan. Their movies are some of the highest-grossing Indian films of all time. These include Sholay (1975), which was the highest-grossing Indian film back then. Other hits were Seeta Aur Geeta (1972), Zanjeer (1973), Deewaar (1975), Trishul (1978), Kranti (1981), and the Don movies. Sholay is also seen as one of the greatest Indian films ever.

Salim Khan is also known as the head of the Salim Khan family. He is the father of three Bollywood actors: Salman Khan, Sohail Khan, and Arbaaz Khan. His daughter, Alvira Khan Agnihotri, is a film producer. He is married to Salma Khan and actress Helen Richardson Khan.

Salim Khan won six Filmfare Awards with Javed Akhtar. In 2014, he received the Padma Shri award from the Indian government. In 2024, Amazon Prime released a documentary series about Salim-Javed called Angry Young Men.

Early Life and Education

Salim Khan was born in Indore, a city in British India, on November 24, 1935. His family was well-off. His grandparents are believed to have come from Afghanistan in the mid-1800s. They served in the British Indian Army. His family later settled in Indore.

Salim Khan was the youngest child. Both his parents passed away by the time he was 14. His father, Abdul Rashid Khan, was a high-ranking police officer. His mother, Siddiqa Bano Khan, died when he was nine. His father died in January 1950.

After his father's death, Salim finished school in March 1950. He then went to Holkar College in Indore and earned his BA degree. His older brothers supported him financially. He even had his own car while in college. He was very good at sports, especially cricket. He was also a trained pilot. During these years, he became interested in films. His friends told him he should try acting because of his good looks.

Career in Films

Becoming an Actor (1960–1969)

Salim Khan started his film career as an actor. He got a supporting role in the film Baraat (1960). He moved to Mumbai for this role. However, Baraat did not do very well.

He worked under the name Prince Salim. He took on small roles and was often cast as a good-looking supporting actor. He acted in about two dozen films over the next ten years. Many of his appearances were so minor that his name was not even in the credits. Some of his films included Teesri Manzil (1966) and Diwaana (1967). His biggest role was in Teesri Manzil, where he played the hero's friend.

Shifting to Writing (1969–1971)

After acting in 25 films, Salim Khan realized that acting was not for him. He decided to focus on writing film scripts. He continued to use the name Prince Salim for a while. One of his notable early scripts was for Do Bhai (1969). He also started working as a writing assistant for director Abrar Alvi.

The Salim-Javed Duo (1971–1982)

Salim Khan met Javed Akhtar while working on the film Sarhadi Lootera. Javed was a clapper boy at first, then became the dialogue writer for the film. Their friendship grew because their bosses lived next door to each other. Salim helped writer/director Abrar Alvi with screenplays. Javed helped Kaifi Azmi with poetry. Soon, Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar decided to work together as a script-writing team. They became known as Salim–Javed.

Salim usually created the stories and plots. Javed wrote the dialogues and sometimes the song lyrics. They would brainstorm ideas together to create the final script.

Rajesh Khanna, a famous actor, helped them get their first big break. He asked them to fix the script for his film Haathi Mere Saathi. This film became a huge hit.

The Salim–Javed duo then worked for Sippy Films as screenwriters. They wrote many successful films like Andaz, Seeta Aur Geeta, Sholay, and Don. Their first big success was the script for Andaz (1971). Other hits included Seeta Aur Geeta (1972), Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973), Zanjeer (1973), Deewaar (1975), and Sholay (1975). They also wrote for two Kannada films. Out of 24 films they wrote together, 20 were hits.

Salim-Javed changed how scriptwriters were seen in the Indian film industry. Before them, writers were often not credited or paid well. Because their scripts were so successful, they demanded better pay and credit. They made sure their names were on the film credits. They also got involved in many stages of making the film.

The screenplay for Zanjeer was mostly written by Salim Khan alone. He then brought Javed Akhtar on board. Salim Khan also helped launch the career of Amitabh Bachchan. Bachchan was struggling before Salim-Javed discovered him. They were impressed by his acting and insisted he be cast in their films. Salim Khan personally introduced Bachchan to directors like Prakash Mehra.

Later Years (1983–2003)

Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar decided to work separately in 1982. After this, Salim Khan wrote scripts and dialogues for successful movies on his own. These included Naam (1986), Angaaray (1986), and Jurm (1990).

He wrote scripts for thirteen films between 1983 and 1996. Some of these were not very successful. However, he wrote the hit film Patthar Ke Phool, which starred his son Salman Khan. He also wrote Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya and Auzaar. These films were produced by his youngest son Sohail Khan and also starred Salman.

His last unofficial work with Javed Akhtar was for the film Baghban (2003). Neither Salim Khan nor Javed Akhtar were officially credited for their contributions to the film's speeches.

Personal Life

Khan with his second wife Helen in 2013

Khan's sons – Arbaaz Khan, Salman Khan and Sohail Khan at an event in 2013

Salim Khan has been married twice. His first marriage was to Salma Khan (born Sushila Charak) on November 18, 1964. They have four children together: three sons, Salman, Arbaaz, and Sohail, and one daughter, Alvira.

In 1981, Khan married actress Helen Richardson. Later, they adopted a girl named Arpita.

Khan's eldest son, Salman, is one of the most successful actors in Indian cinema. His other two sons, Arbaaz and Sohail, are also actors and film producers. His daughter Alvira is married to film-maker Atul Agnihotri. His younger daughter Arpita is married to Aayush Sharma.

Filmography

Screenwriter (Salim-Javed)

Screenwriter (Solo)

• Do Bhai (1969)
• Naam (1986)
• Angaaray (1986)
• Kabzaa (1988)
• Toofan (1989)
• Jurm (1990)
• Akayla (1991)
• Mast Kalandar (1991)
• Patthar Ke Phool (1991)
• Aa Gale Lag Jaa (1994)
• Majhdhaar (1996)
• Dil Tera Diwana (1996)
• Falak (1988)

Actor

• Baraat (1960)
• Police Detective (1960)
• Ramu Dada (1961)
• Professor (1962)
• Kabli Khan (1963)
• Bachpan (1963)
• Darasingh: Ironman (1964)
• Aandhi Aur Toofan (1964)
• Raaka (1965)
• Sarhadi Lutera (1966)
• Teesri Manzil (1966)
• Sarhaadi Lootera (1966)
• Diwana (1967)
• Chhaila Babu (1967)
• Lahu Pukarega (1968)
• Wafadar (1977)

Awards and Recognition

Filmfare Awards

Other Honors

• Sholay (1975) was ranked first in the British Film Institute's 2002 poll of "Top 10 Indian Films" of all time.
• He received a Lifetime Achievement Honour at the Apsara Film & Television Producers Guild Award in January 2014.
• He was offered the Padma Shri award in 2014 but declined it.