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MUMBAI: Bollywood megastar Salman Khan has replied to accusations he has destroyed lives and careers in the movie industry, explaining that such accusations are unfounded and out of his hands.

The actor’s statement came during the new show of Bigg Boss 19when contestant Shehnaaz Gill welcomed her brother, Shehbaz Badesha, as a wildcard contestant. While taking a shot at Khan, Shehnaaz said that he had been involved in influencing numerous careers in the industry.

Khan, though, was swift to put the record straight. “I am not responsible for making or breaking anybody’s career,” he explained. “It is God who does these things. In fact, I have been blamed many times for destroying people’s careers, but that is not within my hands.”

He continued to highlight that either success or failure in Bollywood cannot be mapped to an individual. “If I destroy someone’s career, it would harm me too. I am not in a position to end someone’s journey in films,” Khan added.

The transaction also brought into the limelight a lingering controversy in Bollywood regarding the role of influential actors, directors, and producers in the opening of opportunities for new entrants. Khan’s name has before been brought into some controversies, critics accusing him of nurturing some people while excluding others. The actor, though, has all along dismissed such assertions, insisting that talent, dedication, and destiny decide how long someone lasts in the industry.

Salman Khan, also fondly called “Bhai” by his fans, has been Bollywood’s biggest bet for more than three decades. He is a box office phenomenon with a huge fan base and also the host of Bigg Boss, which is one of India’s biggest reality television shows, where his uncensored comments often make it to the headlines.

Industry observers have said Khan’s words during the show are a bid to counter gossip that gained popular currency on social media, in which arguments concerning nepotism, favoritism, and gatekeeping are high on the agenda. The matter has been sensitive of late, with fans and aspiring actors expressing dismay at the absence of level-playing fields in Bollywood.

By moving away from such accusations, Khan reaffirmed that a film actor’s career is influenced by a mix of opportunity, acceptance by the audience, and fate—elements not within anyone’s control.

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