Anil Raina (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 28, 2017)

A Kashmiri family from Ashmuqam village, whom Salman Khan had adopted while filming Bajrangi Bhaijaan, assembled to celebrate his 52nd birthday on December 27.

Zaina Begum, a 75-year-old widow and matriarch recalled how the actor had helped her family get back on their feet by helping them rebuild a house following the devastating 2014 floods. “We celebrate his birthday every year with a grand feast of his favourite Kashmiri food. I wish him a long life and all the happiness in the world. He is a messiah for us,” Zaina, who now lives in the new home with her daughter-inlaw and four grandchildren, told Mirror.

Zaina’s grandson, Gowhar Bhat, who lost his father when he was nine, said that the family also burst crackers and invited all the children from the neighbourhood for an evening of celebrations. “Salman had promised my three sisters a good life and he kept his word,” he said.