Salman Khan: Controversies the star has been in

Salman Khan and controversies have more often than not walked quite hand-in-hand. Among the most famous actors in Bollywood, Salman is one who is not exactly known for being politically correct. From press conferences to film sets, the actor has mostly stuck to speaking his mind, and many a time, it has placed Salman in the centre of many a controversy. Now, as Salman Khan reaches the Sessions Court in Mumbai to hear the verdict of the 2002 hit-and-run case, we take a look at the other controversies the actor has been a part of:

Salman Khan

Salman Khan, along with his Kick co-star Jacqueline Fernandez, got on a plane to Colombo to campaign for ex-Sri Lankan President Mahendra Rajapaksa last year, right before the presidential elections took place in the country. Salman was the first Bollywood star to have campaigned in Sri Lanka. Rajapaksa, who several Tamil groups were not exactly in love with, lost the elections ultimately, but not before his invitation to Salman to campaign for him became the subject of protests and much sloganeering. Salman was heavily criticised by political parties like DMK, MDMK for lending his support to Rajapaksa.

The 26/11 Attacks: 2010
The 26/11 Mumbai Attacks too created much trouble for Salman Khan. In 2010, Khan was interviewed by a Pakistani channel, and his statement that the attack was hyped because 'elite groups' were targeted made him the target of a lot of criticism-laced darts.

The Fight; the Hug: 2008 to 2013
Bollywood's version of the Olympic Flame is the Salman-Shah Rukh relationship. The fire never goes out. For about seven years now, since the two ended up fighting, allegedly, at Katrina Kaif's birthday in 2008, the rumour mills have not had a moment's rest. Every single press conference, promotional event, interview, interaction that Salman or Shah Rukh have had the misfortune of being a part of have had at least one question about the equation between the two actors. So much so, that at a certain presser, when asked about his equation with Salman, Shah Rukh actually ended up retorting, "Thak gaya hoon yaar yeh ek sawaal sunte sunte...Kuch naya poochhiye!" And finally, the game-changing hug between the two, at Baba Siddiqui's Iftaar party in 2013, quietened innumerable wagging tongues, bringing an era of questioning to an end.

The Other Fight: 2003
In 2003, Salman Khan had allegedly beaten up Vivek Oberoi. Oberoi had called a press conference, too, back then, to inform the media about how Salman was threatening him over SMSes - and yes, the bone of contention was Aishwarya Rai, whom both Khan and Oberoi had dated in the past. In 2014, though, at Narendra Modi's prime ministerial swearing-in, Bollywood - and the country, at large - saw a miracle of sorts materialising in front of their eyes. Both Salman and Vivek were present at the occasion, and Vivek was seen greeting Salman with a 'namaste'. While other versions of the 'namaste' pointed at Vivek apparently apologising to Salman, only the two actors know what the gesture actually meant.

Ash-es to Ashes, the Fire Rages: 2002
One of the most sensational relationships in Bollywood has been the Salman Khan-Aishwarya Rai one. Year after year, the two made it to the news, more after the relationship ended; Salman, for harassing Aishwarya, and the latter, for her opening up about the same. In a 2002 interview to a leading daily, Rai opened up about her relation with Salman. "After we broke up, he would call me and talk rubbish. He also suspected me of having affairs with my co-stars. I was linked up with everyone, from Abhishekh Bachchan to Shah Rukh Khan. There were times when Salman got physical with me, luckily without leaving any marks. And I would go to work as if nothing had happened," Aishwarya had said back then. It was only when Aishwarya tied the knot with Abhishek Bachchan, in 2007, that the Salman-Ash story finally lost steam.