Quick answer: Salman Khan is a Hindi film star, producer and television host, born in Indore on 27 December 1965. He has been the main host of Colors’ Bigg Boss since season 4 (2010), co-hosting season 5 with Sanjay Dutt, and he hosted every regular season up to Bigg Boss 19 in 2025. His best-known films include Maine Pyar Kiya, Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!, Dabangg, Bajrangi Bhaijaan and the Tiger series, and he founded the Being Human charity in 2007.
Who is Salman Khan?
Salman Khan is one of the most successful leading men in Hindi cinema, with a career that began in 1988. He is the eldest son of screenwriter Salim Khan, who wrote films such as Sholay and Deewaar with Javed Akhtar. For many television viewers he is also the face of Bigg Boss, the Indian version of the Big Brother format, which he has hosted for well over a decade. An earlier version of this article said he began hosting Bigg Boss from season 6; in fact he took over in season 4.
Salman Khan: profile at a glance
- Name: Salman Khan
- Born: 27 December 1965, in Indore, Madhya Pradesh (60 as of October 2026)
- Parents: Salim Khan and Salma Khan (born Sushila Charak); actor Helen is his stepmother
- Siblings: Arbaaz Khan and Sohail Khan (brothers), Alvira Khan Agnihotri (sister) and Arpita Khan (adopted sister)
- Education: The Scindia School, Gwalior, and St. Stanislaus High School, Bandra; he attended St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, but did not complete a degree
- Debut film: Biwi Ho To Aisi (1988), in a supporting role
- Occupation: actor, film producer, television host
- Marital status: unmarried
Earlier versions of this article listed a height, eye and hair colour, a “salary per movie”, nicknames, a religion field and a list of rumoured girlfriends. Those details were either unverifiable or speculation about his private life and have been removed.
Salman Khan as the host of Bigg Boss
Bigg Boss began on Sony Entertainment Television in 2006 with Arshad Warsi as host, moved to Colors from season 2 (hosted by Shilpa Shetty), and was hosted by Amitabh Bachchan in season 3. Salman Khan took over in season 4 (2010-11), co-hosted season 5 with Sanjay Dutt (2011-12), and has hosted alone since season 6. He also hosted Bigg Boss OTT 2 on JioCinema in 2023.
| Season | Year | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| Bigg Boss 4 | 2010-11 | Shweta Tiwari |
| Bigg Boss 5 (with Sanjay Dutt) | 2011-12 | Juhi Parmar |
| Bigg Boss 6 | 2012-13 | Urvashi Dholakia |
| Bigg Boss 7 | 2013 | Gauahar Khan |
| Bigg Boss 8 | 2014-15 | Gautam Gulati |
| Bigg Boss 9 | 2015-16 | Prince Narula |
| Bigg Boss 10 | 2016-17 | Manveer Gurjar |
| Bigg Boss 11 | 2017-18 | Shilpa Shinde |
| Bigg Boss 12 | 2018 | Dipika Kakar |
| Bigg Boss 13 | 2019-20 | Sidharth Shukla |
| Bigg Boss 14 | 2020-21 | Rubina Dilaik |
| Bigg Boss 15 | 2021-22 | Tejasswi Prakash |
| Bigg Boss 16 | 2022-23 | MC Stan |
| Bigg Boss 17 | 2023-24 | Munawar Faruqui |
| Bigg Boss 18 | 2024-25 | Karan Veer Mehra |
| Bigg Boss 19 | 2025 | Gaurav Khanna |
An earlier version of this article, written in 2016, said he would host the then-upcoming Bigg Boss 10; he did. For the hosts of every season, see our list of Bigg Boss hosts, and for runners-up and photos, our Bigg Boss winners list. The host of any season after Bigg Boss 19 is announced by Colors, so check the channel for the current season.
Film career
After a supporting part in Biwi Ho To Aisi (1988), Salman Khan had his breakthrough as the lead in Sooraj Barjatya’s Maine Pyar Kiya (1989), which won him the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut. He won a second Filmfare Award, for Best Supporting Actor, for Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998). Some of his most successful films are:
- Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994)
- Wanted (2009)
- Dabangg (2010)
- Ek Tha Tiger (2012)
- Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015)
- Sultan (2016)
- Tiger 3 (2023)
His most recent major release we could confirm is Sikandar, released for Eid in March 2025. As a producer, he has won two National Film Awards: Best Children’s Film for Chillar Party (2011) and Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment for Bajrangi Bhaijaan. An earlier version of this article said he was the first actor to have ten consecutive films cross ₹100 crore; we could not verify that claim, so it has been removed. For his famous lines, see our collections of Salman Khan dialogues and Sultan dialogues.
Being Human Foundation
Salman Khan founded the Being Human Foundation in Mumbai in 2007. The charity works on education and healthcare for underprivileged people, including funding medical treatment. A clothing brand under the Being Human name was launched in 2009.
Court cases
Salman Khan has faced several long-running court cases. These are the main facts on record, as of October 2026:
- Blackbuck poaching case: the case dates from 1998, when blackbuck were killed near Jodhpur during the shooting of Hum Saath-Saath Hain. On 5 April 2018 a Jodhpur court convicted him and sentenced him to five years in prison, while acquitting his co-stars. He was released on bail on 7 April 2018 and appealed. We found no final ruling on that appeal.
- Arms Act case: on 18 January 2017 a Jodhpur court acquitted him of charges of keeping and using unlicensed weapons, saying the prosecution had not provided enough evidence.
- 2002 hit-and-run case: his car hit a bakery in Mumbai in September 2002, killing one person. A sessions court convicted him of culpable homicide not amounting to murder in May 2015, but the Bombay High Court acquitted him in December 2015 for lack of evidence. In July 2016 the Supreme Court admitted the Maharashtra government’s appeal against that acquittal.
Court cases can change, so check recent news reports for the latest position.
Frequently asked questions
Since when has Salman Khan hosted Bigg Boss?
Since season 4 in 2010. He co-hosted season 5 with Sanjay Dutt and has hosted alone from season 6, up to and including Bigg Boss 19 in 2025.
Who hosted Bigg Boss before Salman Khan?
Arshad Warsi hosted season 1, Shilpa Shetty season 2 and Amitabh Bachchan season 3.
What was Salman Khan’s first film?
Biwi Ho To Aisi (1988), in a supporting role. His first lead role was in Maine Pyar Kiya (1989).
What is Being Human?
Being Human is the charitable foundation Salman Khan set up in 2007 to support education and healthcare for underprivileged people. A Being Human clothing brand followed in 2009.
Where was Salman Khan born?
He was born in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, on 27 December 1965. He went to school in Gwalior and Mumbai.
Details checked in October 2026 against his Wikipedia entry and its cited news reports, the Bigg Boss season records and the Being Human Foundation’s published profile. Rumours, personal speculation and unverifiable figures have been removed.
