Jackie Chan met Salman Khan. Was bhaijaan not a big star before meeting him?

Jackie Chan arrives in India to promote his upcoming film Kung Fu Yoga and meets Salman Khan. Why are we so obsessed with Hollywood actors coming to India and meeting our stars?

Aryan Prakash
Jan 24, 2017

Hollywood action star Jackie Chan is nowadays in India to promote his upcoming film Kung Fu Yoga. Upon his arrival in Mumbai, he received a rousing welcome by the Bollywood stars who did not leave a stone unturned to make the evening special for him. The gesture of welcoming guests is imbibed in Indian culture.

Besides Chan, the film also features Sonu Sood and MS Dhoni: The Untold Story actor Disha Patani. Now, it so happened that Sood threw a bash for the Hong Kong actor at a plush hotel in Mumbai, which was attended by several bigwigs. However, it was Chan’s meeting with Salman Khan which generated a lot of buzz. Later, Shilpa Shetty Kundra had her fangirl moment when she touched his feet. Now, that’s her personal choice. Being an individual, she has a right to admire her favourite actor.

Shilpa Shetty Kundra touches feet of Jackie Chan during an event in Mumbai. (Photo: PTI)

But my question is: What’s the need to give a magnanimous welcome to every Hollywood actors arriving in India. A few days ago, both Bollywood and media went berserk after xXx: Return of Xander Cage actor Vin Diesel set his foot on the Indian soil. The trip to India was special because xXx features our very own Deepika Padukone in a pivotal role. Is it guaranteed that she will get the same amount of welcome by the local audience abroad?

In such a situation, why should we go gaga over Chan meeting Salman Khan? It is just a meeting of two actors from different industries. Isn’t it? If not, are you saying that the Dabangg actor’s stardom was incomplete before he met Jackie Chan. And by the way, Chan had already promised that he would meet him. So, the case is closed. What about actors like Irrfan Khan, Frieda Pinto and other Indian actors who regularly do Hollywood films? I doubt whether the film fraternity and media in the West will accord such a grand welcome to them there.