Salman is the eldest son of celebrated writer Salim Khan and his wife Salma Khan. His stepmother is Helen, a famous yesteryear dancer and actress. Khan, who was aspiring to be a director, strayed into playing a supporting role in the film Biwi Ho To Aisi (1988). He was launched as a romantic hero by Sooraj Barjatya of Rajshris in Maine Pyar Kiya (1989), which turned out to be a major blockbuster. There was no looking back for Salman after that. Interestingly, Salman was to assist Sooraj in the film, but Sooraj, who was on the look out for a new boy for the lead in his film, was impressed by Salman's looks and risked casting him as the hero. He is extremely popular among audiences and set off a trend in body building. He is known for his shirtless acts in films and showing of his well worked out body. Even though Salman is known as Bollywood’s Bad Boy for his brushes with the law and rocky relationships, Salman is still hot property in the industry and has immense star value and is a crowd puller. He has made a mark even in guest roles such as in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) for which he won an award. With a combination of commercial success and critically acclaimed performances Salman Khan is the ideal Bollywood hero. Despite being romantically linked with several actresses, and having stormy relationships with ex-girlfriends Aishwarya Rai, Somy Ali and Sangeeta Bijlani, Khan is frequently featured by Indian media as Bollywood's most eligible bachelor. He has been dating actress Katrina Kaif since 2005, with whom he has co-starred in several films.