Blackbuck turns 'Tiger' into jailbird

It would have taken no time to land an ordinary accused in jail but has taken two-long decades to nail the accused guilty because he is no ordinary man. He is Salman Khan, one of the biggest stars of Bollywood with a huge fan following. Loved and adored by all, he may be the apple of his father’s eyes, but not the ‘Eye of the Tiger’. He himself is the Tiger. A restless and reckless tiger to be eventually put behind bars. With all lifeline exhausted in the 1998 blackbuck poaching case, the Dabangg Khan is now a jailbird locked and sealed in jail No. 106.

Salman now stands guilty behind bars while five other accused are set free. The long arms of the law may have taken long years, but certain bars in the country have proved quite strong. The Bollywood strong man who often flaunted his well-toned body has been given a big blow with five years in prison.

Now, his well-wishers and supporters feel the punishment meted out to ‘Bhaijaan’ is "too harsh". As tears are shed and words of support are raised by those close to him and Bollywood rallies behind him, debate platforms are ringing a different bell—Is the verdict that came after 20 long years justice to the Bishnoi community in Rajasthan, the protectors of blackbucks. All sides of the bars and case are now under the scrutiny of the public eyes. 

It’s been a long-drawn fight. But not giving up, Salman’s lawyer Anand Desai has filed a bail plea. The plea will be heard in the high court on Friday morning. Sure, he was not out in the jungle hunting alone. So, while on one hand it took so many years to convict the guilty, on the other, other stars involved were set free. Law did take its course, but as his family and fans wait with hope and prayers on their lips, only time will tell whether the jailbird will be set free any sooner.

Well, Salman may not be the Sultan of Swing but he sure is the Sultan of Tinsel town. He can spring a ‘power’ful surprise. He has his sleeves rolled up all the time. One never knows what surprise he would pull out even when behind bars.  You only have to wait and watch him in action in real, if not in reel now.