1988–1991: Debut and breakthrough Salman Khan made his on-screen debut in 1988 with a supporting role in the successful film
Biwi Ho To Aisi, which had
Rekha in the lead role. The following year, he played the lead in
Sooraj Barjatya's
romantic musical Maine Pyar Kiya opposite
Bhagyashree. The film backed up with chartbuster music went on to become an
All Time Blockbuster at the box office and made Khan a star. It also won him the
Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut. He began the new decade with
Deepak Shivdasani's
action drama film
Baaghi: A Rebel for Love (1990), which he also wrote.
Baaghi opened to positive critical reception and was a box office hit. Khan's run continued in 1991 with his solo venture
Sanam Bewafa and his supporting role in the
Sanjay Dutt starter
Saajan, emerging as blockbusters and their soundtracks proving to be two of the best-selling Hindi film albums of that year. His other releases of the year,
Kurbaan and
Patthar Ke Phool also performed well commercially.
1992–1996: Major success and slump In 1992, Khan starred in the dark fantasy horror film
Suryavanshi, which was a major commercial and critical failure. The film is remembered for Khan's look which was inspired by
Thor and
He-Man. In 1994, Khan appeared in
Rajkumar Santoshi's , co-starring
Aamir Khan. At the time of its release, the film failed at the box office but has gained a
cult status over the years. Later in the year he collaborated with director
Sooraj Barjatya in the romance
Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! co-starring
Madhuri Dixit. During the 1995 awards season, the film won 3
Filmfare Awards for Best Film, Best Director and Best Actress. It also won the
National Film Award for being the most popular film of the year. Earning more than () worldwide, the film became the biggest
Bollywood hit of the year and the
highest-grossing Indian film up until then. It is one of the films on Box Office India's list of "Biggest Blockbusters Ever in
Hindi Cinema". In 2006, it was still the fourth-highest grossing
Bollywood film ever, according to Box Office India. In 1995 he starred in
Rakesh Roshan's
Karan Arjun alongside
Shah Rukh Khan. The two played brothers who are reincarnated after being killed by family enemies. His role as Karan earned him a nomination for the 1995
Filmfare Best Actor Award. In 1996, Khan performed in
Sanjay Leela Bhansali's directional debut
Khamoshi: The Musical. Despite the massive success of
Hum Aapke Hain Koun and
Karan Arjun, his solo films entered a consistent slump. Projects like
Andaz Apna Apna (1994),
Sangdil Sanam (1994),
Veergati (1995),
Majhdhaar (1996) and
Khamoshi (1996) all underperformed at the box office. His career was eventually revitalised by the 1996 film
Jeet starring
Sunny Deol, which became the third highest-grossing film of the year. Khan has often credited Deol for supporting him during this period. He later reciprocated by supporting Deol's brother,
Bobby Deol, with a role in
Race 3.
1997–1999: Rise to prominence He had two releases in 1997:
Judwaa and
Auzaar. The former was a comedy directed by
David Dhawan where he played a dual role of twins separated at birth. Khan worked in five different films in 1998, his first release being the
romantic comedy film
Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya opposite
Kajol, one of the biggest commercial successes of that year. This was followed by the moderately successful drama
Jab Pyaar Kisise Hota Hai where Khan played a young man who has to take a child who claims to be his son, under his custody. Khan's performance in the film earned favourable critical review. He also had an extended cameo in
Karan Johar's directorial debut,
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, which earned him critical acclaim and a second
Filmfare Award under the
Best Supporting Actor category. In 1999, Khan starred in three films:
Hum Saath-Saath Hain,
Biwi No.1, and
Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam alongside
Aishwarya Rai and
Ajay Devgan, which earned him another Best Actor nomination at the
Filmfare awards. His performance in the film was reviewed favourably, with Sharmila Telikum of Rediff noting, "Salman is endearing. He does tend to ham in the dramatic scenes, but looks very comfortable doing comedy and those romantic scenes."
2000–2009: Sporadic success and setbacks Despite some big successes, most of Khan's films were critical and commercial failures during this period, including
Chal Mere Bhai (2000),
Kahin Pyaar Na Ho Jaaye (2000),
Tumko Na Bhool Paayenge (2002),
Yehi Hai Jalwa (2002),
Garv: Pride & Honour (2004),
Phir Milenge (2004),
Dil Ne Jise Apna Kahaa (2004),
Lucky - No Time for Love (2005),
Kyon Ki (2005),
Shaadi Karke Phas Gaya Yaar (2006),
Jaan-E-Mann (2006),
Baabul (2006),
Salaam-E-Ishq (2007),
God Tussi Great Ho (2008),
Yuvvraaj (2008),
Main Aurr Mrs. Khanna (2009),
London Dreams (2009), and
Veer (2010). While films like
Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega (2000),
Chori Chori Chupke Chupke (2001),
Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam (2002),
Tere Naam (2003), and
Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya? (2005) were moderate successes, his major hits included
Dulhan Hum Le Jayenge (2000),
Baghban (2003),
Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004),
No Entry (2005),
Partner (2007), and
Wanted (2009). In 2001, Khan appeared in
Chori Chori Chupke Chupke, which addressed the issue of
surrogate childbirth. In it, Khan played the role of a rich industrialist who hires a surrogate mother after his wife becomes infertile. Sukanya Verma of
Rediff.com wrote that the film had an absurd storyline, but also spontaneous performances from the cast, helping to minimise its other flaws. For
Tere Naam (2003),
Taran Adarsh said of him, "Salman Khan is exceptional in a role that fits him to the T. He breathes fire in sequences that demand uneasiness. But beneath the tough exterior lies a vulnerable person and this facet in particular comes to the fore in the latter reels. His emotional outbursts are splendid..." Director
Satish Kaushik considered Khan's work in the film to be strong, saying of it, "Salman has given a great performance in the film. He's given an intense, unconventional performance. I believe this is the best performance of Salman's career so far." His career progressed with comedies like
Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004) and
No Entry (2005). at an event for
World Aids Day in 2007 Khan started 2007 with the ensemble film
Salaam-e-Ishq which was termed as an "Average Grosser All Over". He appeared in the Hollywood movie
Marigold, opposite American actress
Ali Larter. The film told the love story of an Indian man and an American woman. Khan hosted the second season of the game show
10 Ka Dum during 2009. According to a 2008 report from Biz Asia UK, the show earned enough
target rating points (TRPs) for
Sony Entertainment Television to regain its third position in the Indian television ratings. He appeared in
Wanted (a remake of 2006
Telugu super hit film
Pokiri), directed by
choreographer turned director
Prabhu Deva. The film received mixed reviews.
Taran Adarsh from
Bollywood Hungama rated it 4 of 5 stars noting, "
Wanted rides on Salman Khan's star power. He may not be the best actor in town, but in a film like
Wanted, in a role that seems like an extension of his personality, you can't think of anyone else enacting this role with flourish." Raja Sen from
Rediff gave a rating of 2/5 and said, "The writing is both amateurish and crass, while the songs are plain hideous...Khan might be having fun, but the fact a film like
Wanted underscores is how badly
Bollywood needs a breed of younger leading men. And how the existing lot need roles that fit." He appeared in two other films that year,
Main Aurr Mrs Khanna and
London Dreams.
2010–2017: Commercial peak Khan's first release of 2010 was
Anil Sharma's film
Veer. In his second release of 2010,
Dabangg, Khan played the role of a fearless cop with comic effect in the film. The film was noted by the
Economic Times as being remarkable for its commercial success, despite having an "accent on inanity..." and "...complete incoherence in terms of plot and credibility."
The Times also noted industry experts attributed the popularity of the film to Khan's presence, stating that they "ascribe its allure to the star charisma of Salman Khan, who has managed to carry off the over-the-top articulation of
Chulbul Pandey with unbridled enthusiasm and zeal." It was later
remade in
Tamil and
Telugu. The film was produced by his brother
Arbaaz Khan. Khan received a
Star Screen Award for Best Actor and a
Stardust Award for Star of the Year – Male for his performance. He was also nominated for his sixth
Filmfare Award for Best Actor.
Anupama Chopra from
NDTV wrote about his performance: "It's the role of a lifetime and Salman Khan bites into it like a starving man devours a feast. He inhabits it fully, strutting and swaggering and even, spoofing himself." Beginning with
Dabangg, Khan entered a period of sustained commercial dominance through a streak of box office successes. Between 2010 and 2017, every film in which he played the lead role grossed over ₹100 crore domestically. During this eight-year period, Khan headlined the highest-grossing Hindi film of the year on five separate occasions. His film releases became synonymous with the
Eid festival, where they broke multiple opening-day and lifetime collection records, cementing his status as one of the most consistently bankable stars in the industry. Khan's first release of 2011 was
Ready (a remake of the
2008 Telugu film of the same name).
Ready held a record for being the second highest grossing Bollywood film of 2011. He next appeared in
Bodyguard, a remake of the
2010 Malayalam film of the same name. The film was not well received by critics, though it became India's highest-earning film of the year. at the launch of
Ek Tha Tiger first song 'Mashallah' Khan's first release of 2012 was
Ek Tha Tiger where he starred opposite
Katrina Kaif and acted as an
Indian spy. The film garnered positive reactions from critics while opening to extremely strong box office collections. The film marks his first association with
Yash Raj Films. Khan starred in
Dabangg 2, the sequel of
Dabangg, in 2012 under the production of Arbaaz Khan.
Dabangg 2 eventually emerged as a huge financial success with revenues of globally. After a one-year gap, Khan's first release of 2014 was
Jai Ho (an official remake of the 2006
Telugu film Stalin), which he starred in opposite
Daisy Shah. The film became another box office success for Khan. His second release,
Kick, a remake of a
Telugu film entered the Rs. 2 billion club in India on
Eid. He also sang the song "Hangover" for the film's soundtrack. The year 2015 is widely considered the pinnacle of Khan's film career. Khan's first film of 2015,
Bajrangi Bhaijaan, which was released on
Eid, received acclaim from critics and the public and broke several box office records upon release. The film, grossing on its first week beat the previous record of
PK. This was Khan's first and the second
Bollywood film after
PK to enter the 300 club. The film became the
second highest-grossing Bollywood film in India and worldwide at that time, with a collection of over 6 billion.
Bajrangi Bhaijaan crossed 300 crore within 20 days of its release and became the second highest grosser to date in India, while his second film,
Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, a Diwali release which received mixed reviews from critics and the public, broke several box office records upon release. The film became the ninth consecutive film of Salman Khan to gross over 1 billion. The film grossed ₹1.73 billion (US$27 million) on its first week. By 25 November, the film collected ₹2.01 billion. With this, Khan become the only actor to give three back-to-back movies which collected more than net domestically. He became the only actor to collect over domestic net in a single year in India. Khan's first film of 2016, yet again another
Eid release,
Sultan, directed by
Ali Abbas Zafar for
Yash Raj Films received positive reviews from both critics and the public breaking several box office records. The film opened on an average of 70% audience occupancy and grossed approximately on its opening day. The film also collected another on its first weekend, bringing its total first week collections to an approximate of . By the end of its second week, the film had grossed an estimated and later became the second film of Khan to net over 300 crores. As of 9 August, the film grossed worldwide. In June 2017, Khan appeared in
Tubelight, his third collaboration with
Kabir Khan after
Ek Tha Tiger and
Bajrangi Bhaijaan. This film also starred Khan's real-life brother
Sohail Khan. Despite its high expectations, the film failed to do well at the box office. Khan's second release of 2017
Tiger Zinda Hai, a sequel to
Ek Tha Tiger grossed 190crore worldwide in its opening weekend. As of 23 January 2018, the film has grossed worldwide, including in India and overseas.
2018–present: Career fluctuations In 2018, Khan played the leading role in his only release of the year,
Race 3, an action film. The film had an ensemble cast including
Anil Kapoor,
Bobby Deol,
Jacqueline Fernandez and others. The film was critically panned for its storyline, weak performances and climax but became an average success. The following year, Khan starred in
Bharat and
Dabangg 3. While
Bharat was moderately successful,
Dabangg 3 flopped. In 2021, he starred in
Radhe, which released on 13 May 2021 to widespread negative reviews, however, it became a streaming success. In the same year, he starred in
Antim: The Final Truth. The film received mixed reviews from the critics, but Khan's performance was praised. The film was a flop at the box office. In 2023, he did a cameo in
Pathaan, reprising his eponymous role as
Tiger. The same year, he starred in
Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan, the remake of
Veeram, directed by
Farhad Samji. The film received mixed reviews and failed at the box office. Khan next reprised his role as Tiger in
Tiger 3 (2023), as part of the
YRF Spy Universe. Made on a budget of , the movie went on to gross over worldwide to emerge a hit venture. Despite the success,
Tiger 3 underperformed compared to its prequels. After making cameos in
Singham Again and
Baby John in 2024, Khan starred in
AR Murugadoss' action film
Sikandar in 2025. Chirag Segal of
News18 praised Khan's action sequences and chemistry with
Rashmika Mandanna, who is 31 years his junior, but noted his limited emotional range in dramatic scenes. Rahul Desai of
The Hollywood Reporter was critical of the movie and Khan's performance as "alpha-male-saviour", stating that "Khan's version of reality is too detached from storytelling to affect the viewers.". Overall, the film received negative reviews from the critics and became Khan's biggest flop since
Yuvvraaj (2008). Khan will next appear in a film about the
2020 Galwan Valley clash between Indian and Chinese troops,
Maatrubhumi: May War Rest In Peace, playing the role of Colonel
B. Santosh Babu alongside
Chitrangda Singh; it was originally going to be called
Battle of Galwan. == Other work ==