Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 23, 2017)

Over the last decade, Salman Khan, who loves to paint, has gifted a six-by-ten-feet handpainted wall portrait to sister Arpita Khan Sharma, a live-size portrait of two lovers to his Bajrangi Bhaijaan co-star Kareena Kapoor, a monochrome painting of a man to his Ready co-star Asin, among others, including one to close family friend Bina Kak and filmmaker friends, Kabir Khan and Mahesh Manjrekar.

Last year, a businessman-fan wanted to acquire Salman’s portrait of a mother and son locked in an embrace for Rs 20 lakh but the superstar thought it was too small a prize for a painting that was so dear to him. Later, when he was offered Rs 1 crore for the same painting, he sold it and invested the money in his Being Human foundation. Following several similar offers, the 51-year-old actor has agreed to sell some of his works, earnings from which will go to his charity.

A source close to him told Mirror, “Salman’s paintings are all about the emotions of life. They are focussed on love, family ties and the oneness of religion, which are all feelings that resonate with the actor. They are extremely personal and he does not paint for money or fame; he does it for the joy and peace it brings him. His family and friends are always gifting him canvases, paints and brushes, but Salman insists that his best works are on life-sized frames with hands. Those will be the paintings up for purchase too.”