It was party time for hundreds of Salman Khan fans who had gathered outside the superstar's residence on Wednesday to wish him on his 58th birthday.
The "Tiger 3" star acknowledged their greetings a little after 7 pm when he appeared on the balcony of his Bandra home dressed in a grey T-shirt and denims.
Salman obliged the sea of fans with a 'salaam', a 'namaste', and a wave here and there and many flying kisses.
The actor looked visibly emotional as he greeted an ecstatic crowd that welcomed the star with hooting and a round of applause. He was accompanied by his father, veteran screenwriter Salim Khan.
"Thank you everyone!" Salman captioned a video montage of him greeting the crowd on his Instagram Stories.
"Salman, I love you!", "Bhaijaan", and "Lots of love" were some of the fans' messages that one was able to decipher in the cheers of the hundreds of people.
If the noise was deafening, the flashlights of the fans' smartphones capturing the superstar's annual appearance ritual on his birthday were blinding.
Mumbai Police personnel were stationed outside Galaxy Apartments for crowd control as fans waited behind the barricades.
Fans from across cities had lined up around the building from early hours of the day to catch a glimpse of the superstar.
Some fans even carried huge posters of the superstar to wish him on his special day.
In the afternoon, a bunch of fans were singing and dancing to the song "Bhai Ka Birthday Hai" from the superstar's film "Antim: The Final Truth" on the road.
One of the fans held a placard that read "Coming From Kerala to meet the one n only GOAT Megastar Salman Khan Happiest Birthday Ma Love" as she waited to catch a glimpse of her favourite actor.
His colleagues Katrina Kaif, Ajay Devgn, Kajol, and Sonam Kapoor also wished the actor on social media.
"Tiger Tiger Tiger May u always be just as you are. a true original. Happy birthday @beingsalmankhan (sic)" wrote Katrina for her "Tiger 3" co-star.
"Happy birthday Tiger. Sending you a virtual hug," Devgn posted on X.
Kajol shared a still from the song "Saajan ji Ghar Aaye" from "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" and captioned it: "Wishing the Sultan a very happy birthday." "Happy birthday Salman.. you're the best," said Sonam, who has worked with Salman in her debut "Saawariyaa" and "Prem Ratan Dhan Payo", in an Instagram post.
Salman had returned to Mumbai late Tuesday night to celebrate his birthday with family and friends. In a double celebration, the actor rang in his birthday with friends and family at midnight alongside his niece Ayat, who turned four the same day. The party was attended by Bobby Deol, Neha Dhupia, Angad Bedi, Riteish Deshmukh, Genelia Deshmukh and Shilpa Shetty. On Instagram, Bobby shared a series of photos with his "Race 3" and wrote: "Mamu, I love you.." Dhupia posted pictures from the party and captioned it as: "Ok that escalated fast ... from date night with husband to a birthday bash for the books.... Happy birthday to the coolest @beingsalmankhan." Riteish also shared a picture with the superstar and his wife Genelia.
"Bhau… the man who I love unconditionally. @beingsalmankhan. May your life be filled with love, laughter and happiness. On your birthday today and every other day i only wish the best for you…. #happybirthdaysalmankhan' (sic)" he wrote on Instagram.
Besides "Tiger 3", this year Salman also starred in "Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan". The actor currently hosts reality TV show "Bigg Boss" season 17.
On the film front, Salman will reunite with his "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" director Karan Johar on a project.
Source: The Telegraph Online
BDST: 1202 HRS, DEC 28, 2023
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