Salman Khan has landed. The Bollywood star was spotted arriving at Dubai Airport today (Thursday, May 28). India’s most bankable actor is in the UAE to appear at an awards ceremony, hosted at Meydan Racecourse on Friday, May 29, despite his recent conviction for a drunken hit and run.
Promoters released two pictures of Khan upon arriving, garbed in a black T-shirt and jeans. Khan, who was found guilty of culpable homicide earlier this month, was granted special permission to travel to the UAE to appear at the four-day Arab-Indo Bollywood Awards.
The 49-year-old actor is awaiting an appeal against the court’s decision, to be heard in July.
The appearance will be the superstar’s first since he was sentenced on May 8 to five years’ jail for the hit-and-run death of a homeless man in Mumbai in 2002.
On May 26, the Bombay high court granted Khan permission to travel after filing a security deposit of about 200,000 rupees (Dh11,500).
Khan has appeared in more than 80 Hindi-language films and television shows, including four movies which rank among the 10 highest-grossing Indian films of all time.
Abdullatif Al Sayegh, chairman of the Arab-Indo Bollywood Awards, earlier said Khan was still booked because he “remains a hero in millions of hearts”.
rgarratt@thenational.ae
