Bollywood star Salman Khan gets 5 years for poaching deer

Bollywood superstar Salman Khan was convicted Thursday of poaching rare deer in a wildlife preserve two decades ago and sentenced to five years in prison, with the judge describing him as a "habitual offender."

FILE- In this Nov. 11, 2015 file photo, Bollywood actor Salman Khan attends a promotional event for his movie 'Prem Ratan Dhan Payo' in Mumbai, India. Khan has been convicted in a 20-year-old poaching case and could face up to six years in prison.  (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool, File)

Khan, who was in court for the ruling in the western city of Jodhpur, was taken to a local prison after the verdict, though he is likely to be freed on bail in the next few days. Police said additional security had been ordered for his prison ward.

"He has filed an appeal and the appellate court will decide whether they will hear the appeal tomorrow or at another date," prosecutor Bhawani Singh Bhati told reporters.

The heavily muscled actor contended he did not shoot the two blackbuck deer in the western India preserve in 1998. He was acquitted in related cases.

Khan, 52, has starred in more than 90 Hindi-language films, but has also had a reputation as a Bollywood bad boy, known for his run-ins with the law — including a fatal car accident — and his troubled relationships with women.

FILE- A June 18, 2005 file photo of Black Buck antelopes resting in the shade at the zoo in New Delhi, India.  (AP Photo/Gurinder Osan, File)

His relation with actress Aishwarya Rai in the early 2000s reportedly included him beating his hands bloody as he pounded on her apartment door during an argument.

"If you won't fight, that means there is no love between you," he later said in an interview. "When we fight, it is all because of our love."

He starred with Rai in the 1999 hit "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam." Other hits included "Sultan," ''Ek Tha Tiger," and last year's "Tiger Zinda Hai."

He spent a total of 18 days in prison in 1998, 2006 and 2007 in the poaching cases, but was freed on bail, the Press Trust of India news agency said. He had been sentenced to prison terms of between one and five years in related cases before being acquitted by appeals courts for lack of evidence.

Bollywood quickly rallied to Khan's defense. "My heart goes out to" Khan, the actor Arjun Rampal said on Twitter. "I feel this is too harsh."

FILE- In this July 15, 2015 file photo, Indian Bollywood actor Salman Khan smiles as he attends the trailer launch of his movie "Hero" in Mumbai, India. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade, File)

Four other stars also accused in the case — Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Tabu and Neelam — were acquitted by Chief Judicial Magistrate Dev Kumar Khatri. They were in the jeep that Salman Khan was believed to be driving during the hunt. Tabu and Neelam both use just one name.

Khatri in his ruling called Khan a "habitual offender," the Economic Times newspaper said.

The blackbuck is an endangered species protected under the Indian Wildlife Act.

The Bishnoi, a religious sect whose beliefs include worshipping nature and wildlife, and who have long protected the blackbuck deer, expressed disappointment at the acquittal of the four actors.

Bollywood star Salman Khan, second left, arrives to appear before a court in Jodhpur, Rajasthan state, India, Thursday, April 5, 2018. (AP Photo/Sunil Verma)

Chogaram Bishnoi, a member of the community, told reporters that he had seen Khan stopping his jeep and shooting the two blackbucks in a village near Jodhpur in October 1998. Khan and the other actors were in the area at the time filming a movie.

Khan has faced other charges in the past. In 2014, the Mumbai High Court acquitted Khan in a drunken-driving, hit-and-run case, after he was accused of running over five men sleeping on a sidewalk in 2002, killing one of them.

The judges found that prosecutors had failed to prove charges of culpable homicide.

The government of Maharashtra state has challenged his acquittal in the Supreme Court.

Policemen stand guard outside the house of Bollywood star Salman Khan in Mumbai, India, Thursday, April 5, 2018.  (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

NEW DELHI (AP) — Dharmendra, one of Indian cinema’s most popular stars whose versatile performances made him a defining screen presence of 1970s and 1980s Bollywood films, died Monday. He was 89.

The actor, who would have turned 90 on Dec. 8, had been in and out of a hospital in the financial capital, Mumbai, over the past few weeks.

A senior police official who had spoken to Dharmendra's doctor confirmed the death on condition of anonymity. Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences, saying the actor's death marks the end of an era in Indian cinema.

“He was an iconic film personality, a phenomenal actor who brought charm and depth to every role he played. The manner in which he played diverse roles struck a chord with countless people,” Modi said on social media platform X.

Often called Bollywood’s “He-Man,” Dharmendra combined the old-school heroism of an action star with the tenderness of a romantic lead, making him one of India’s most iconic actors. Though most of his fame came from roles in which he embodied the archetype of a larger-than-life hero — upright, patriotic and fearless — his charming performances in romantic hits equally made him popular with the masses.

Dharmendra’s performance in “Sholay” (1975) — Bollywood’s take on the Spaghetti Western and regarded as one of India’s greatest films — earned him enduring popularity. His roles in other Hindi-language hits, from the romantic comedy “Chupke Chupke” (1975) to the action drama “Mera Gaon Mera Desh” (1971), made him one of the most recognizable film faces from that era.

His role in Bollywood classic “Sholay,” where he played an affable character alongside Amitabh Bachchan, his co-actor in the film, cemented his status as a superstar. The duo’s on-screen partnership also became one of Bollywood’s most iconic pairings.

His on-screen chemistry with actress Hema Malini, whom he later married, became one of Bollywood’s most popular collaborations, as the pair acted together in more than two dozen films. But their union was rooted in scandal. Dharmendra had married Prakash Kaur before his film debut, and went on to have four children with her, including two who would follow in his acting footsteps — Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol.

Despite his marriage to Malini in 1980, he reportedly never divorced Kaur and continued to live with her. According to local media reports, he briefly converted to Islam before marrying Malini as Indian law disallows Hindus to marry twice, especially if their spouse is alive.

Dharmendra and Malini had two daughters, including Bollywood actor Esha Deol. His nephew, Abhay Deol, also joined the industry.

Later in his career, Dharmendra moved to more character-driven roles, frequently portraying paternal figures in the 1990s and 2000s in a career that continued through 2025. He was last seen in war biopic film “Ikkis.”

“I never thought I would come this far,” he said in a 2021 interview with Indian news website Rediff.

Born Dharmendra Kewal Krishan Deol in India’s northern state of Punjab in 1935, he grew up in a farming family and moved to Mumbai in the late 1950s, making his Bollywood debut in 1960. Over a career spanning six decades, he acted in more than 300 films.

In 2012, Dharmendra was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian honor, in recognition of his contribution to Indian cinema. He also briefly turned to politics, serving as a Bharatiya Janata Party lawmaker in Parliament from 2004 to 2009, though his political stint was short-lived.

Dharmendra is survived by his wives, children and grandchildren.

Bollywood actor Govinda drives as he arrives at a cremation center to pay homage to Bollywood actor Dharmendra, in Mumbai India, Monday, Nov. 24, 2025.(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

A fan mourns outside a cremation center to pay homage to Bollywood actor Dharmendra who died Monday, in Mumbai India, Monday, Nov. 24, 2025.(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

A fan mourns outside a cremation center to pay homage to Bollywood actor Dharmendra, in Mumbai India, Monday, Nov. 24, 2025.(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

A fan holds the photograph of Bollywood actor Dharmendra during his funeral outside a cremation center in Mumbai India, Monday, Nov. 24, 2025.(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

FILE - Bollywood actor and Indian lawmaker Dharmendra reacts during a promotional press conference of his latest film "Apne" in Calcutta, India, Monday, June 25, 2007. (AP Photo/Bikas Das, File)