Veteran screenwriter and actor Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, has been honoured with the prestigious Raj Kapoor Lifetime Achievement Award for his remarkable contribution to Hindi cinema. The award was received on his behalf by his wife, veteran actress Helen.

Speaking on the occasion, Helen expressed her gratitude to the Maharashtra government and said the honour was particularly special for Salim Khan. She said he had established a distinct identity in the Hindi film industry by giving audiences memorable stories and powerful dialogues.

Speaking to the media, Helen revealed that after learning about the honour, Salim Khan expressed his gratitude to everyone who has loved him and continued to support him throughout his career. Helen said she was extremely happy to accept the award on his behalf and added that she has admired all the films written by Salim Khan.

During the 1970s, Salim Khan, in collaboration with Javed Akhtar, gave Hindi cinema several landmark films, including ‘Sholay’, ‘Zanjeer’, ‘Deewaar’, ‘Don’ and ‘Trishul’. The celebrated writing duo transformed the role of the screenwriter in mainstream Indian cinema through compelling stories, tightly crafted screenplays and memorable dialogues.

Salim Khan was also among the early screenwriters to campaign for greater recognition and proper credit for writers in film publicity and promotional material. His contribution played an important role in bringing greater visibility and respect to screenwriters within the Hindi film industry.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar