Salmans Kith And Kin Sleep On A Bed Of Hot Coal Tonight

The clock on the wall of Salman Khan’s bedroom keeps ticking. With every strike, it brings him a moment closer to his fate.

Hours away from the High Court judgment, Salman is staring at an empty night where he will have to battle his demons. The Sessions Court verdict of 5-year jail term haunts him, the uncertainty of the future looms large over him. But he is not the only one going through hell.

After all, when such a disaster strikes someone, his close ones are also left devastated in its wake.

Surely, it must not be easy for a father to imagine his son stand at the witness box (Salim Khan hadn't accompanied Salman to the court)  and being declared guilty. Salim has always stood by the law and this time too, he took the verdict in his stride. He stayed true to his quote on Koffee With Karan where he had said, “I have never defended him. So many things have happened. The matter is subjudice.”

He put up a brave front yesterday during the court case but beneath the strong faade was a nervous man. One who breathed a sigh of relief when Salman was granted interim bail. After a trying day, Salim was relieved to know that his son was not going to spend the night in jail. "But the events of the day weighed very heavily on Salim. He has never been so unhappy in his life."

If Salim held it together, his wife Salma couldnt bear the thought of her son being charged guilty. She fell ill as soon as the verdict was announced and Sohail had to rush home from the court to attend to her. But the Khan blood of resilience runs thick in her veins too. After the initial shock, she rose to the situation. After all, Bollywood celebs kept showing up at Salmans Bandra residence to lend their support in such a time and the gracious hostess was not going to forget her duties. She ensured that the visitors were returned only after being properly fed, as is the tradition of the Khans.

Alvira continued to be the rock of the family. Whoever has followed Salman to the courts over the last decade will tell you that Alvira has been a permanent fixture during all his hearings. In the last 13 years, she has missed only one hearing. It is she whom he counts on, during his times of distress. Yesterday too, she was the face of calm amidst the chaos. She had sworn to take him home yesterday and she did. But she must be wondering if her brother will be as lucky to make it home tomorrow.  

Arpita, who cried on Salmans shoulder during her wedding last November, cannot imagine life without him around.

The same thought must be running in Arbaaz and Sohails minds too. Besides their obvious personal attachment, its no secret that Salman has played a huge role in their careers.  After not being able to make a mark with his acting, Arbaaz turned into a successful producer thanks to Salman. Be it his debut production Dabangg or his directorial venture Dabangg 2 it wont be wrong to say that his success has a lot to do with Salmans presence. Sohail too counts on Salman - be it for wise words from bade bhaiyya or for a Jai Ho.

Talking about professional commitments, Kabir Khan is sitting in Kashmir, waiting for a call from the star. The director has 15 days of shoot pending for his Bajrangi Bhaijaan. Needless to say, the film's release date (on Eid) is heavily resting on tomorrows judgment.

But the man who is more troubled than Kabir is Sooraj Barjatya. The filmmaker, who has seen a string of flops since the 1999-hit Hum Saath Saath Hain, had approached Salman with the hopes of recreating their box-office magic. And now, after having shot a chunk of Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, Sooraj is worriedly looking at his calendar. Says the source, 30 days of shooting with Salman is still left to be done. Obviously Sooraj is worried how things are going to work out, since he wants to release the film during Diwali. 

Were we wrong to say that these eight people will be sleeping on a bed of hot coal tonight? They will probably not sleep a wink tonight.

(Tune in to SpotboyE.com The Show on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9 pm and Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 1 pm on 9XM)