For all of you wondering if this miracle really happened, well, it did! How? Read on… Salman Khan is famous for – apart from his Dabangg attitude – not stepping up on the stage to accept awards. But the evening of February 5th, when the International Advertising Association hosted the awards show for the Brand Endorser Of The Year, changed that. Yes, Salman won the coveted title of the Best Brand Endorser of The Year. And while we were happy at that, we danced at the sight of him stepping up on to the stage to receive the award after almost 14 years.

But it wasn’t as easy as it sounds. Sallu, habituated to staying put on his seat whenever his name is called out, remained seated this time around too. Only after his fans, coaxed and cajoled – someone even gave him a tiny push, perhaps – did Khan decide to go on the stage. And what did he do once on the podium? He gave a why-I-don’t-receive-awards speech instead of mumbling a clinched ‘thank you’. “I don’t think I deserve these awards. The day I feel I really deserve an award, I will go and snatch it from the person who’s holding it,” he said, in true Sallu style.

The superb rat star even went on to say that these awards create a rift between the actors – like Shahrukh Khan, Aamir Khan and himself – when they are pitted against each other. One wins, the channel earns its TRPs and others just return home empty handed. Hence, Salman generally keeps away from the awards. But what happened that night has made it amply clear that while Sallu does prefer to stay away from awards, for whatever reason, making him go up on stage is possible. Yay! So all you fans who pine to see your favorite Dabangg actor receive those filmi awards, give him a friendly shove the next time his name is called. You will, won’t you?