What does it take to have a 35-year career in a dynamic industry like Bollywood? Talent and dedication, sure. But it also demands the ability to command stardom and have an inexplicable connection with the fans—something that Salman Khan seemed to have from his debut film, Biwi Ho To Aisi (1988). The superstar, who completed 35 years in the movies this year, is full of gratitude to have reached this milestone.

“People, who have loved me since my debut, made me realize on social media that I have completed 35 years in cinema! It’s a very special moment for me, filled with nostalgia, love, joy, and also the pain [of the times when] things didn’t go as per plans. But I have loved every minute of my journey in the Hindi film industry,” says the actor.

To Khan, it’s only fitting that one of his biggest releases in recent times, Tiger 3, is arriving in his milestone year. He considers the espionage thriller a gift to his legion of fans. “My fans love to see me doing action, and I hope Tiger 3 is the perfect gift that they have been waiting for. I am elated with the response that the teaser, Tiger Ka Message, has received.”

While the actor forayed into films with a supporting role in Biwi Ho To Aisi, his breakthrough came a year later with the romantic drama, Maine Pyar Kiya (1989). A string of successful romantic offerings and comedies followed. However, beginning with Wanted in 2009, Khan actively shifted gears to action films—a trick that worked like a charm at the box office. His next, director Maneesh Sharma’s Tiger 3 is the tentpole action entertainer his fans have come to expect from him.

Asked about his action-star image, he says, “I love being the larger-than-life action star because it’s fun. I love doing big action spectacles, and Tiger 3 is as big as it can get. I loved the film’s story a lot.”

In the Diwali release, Khan reprises his role of R&AW agent Avinash Singh Rathore aka Tiger, who finds himself framed as a traitor. Sources say the thriller will have a massive jailbreak sequence as Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan will rescue Tiger from a Pakistani prison.