Salman Khan birthday: Rare photos and lesser known facts about the Sultan actor

Bollywood actor, Salman Khan, turns 51 on 27 December. He celebrated his birthday at his Panvel farmhouse in Mumbai with his family and friends. Several celebrities attended the bash and many pictures from the event have been doing rounds on the internet.

This year has been extremely lucky for Salman as his film Sultan became the highest gosser of 2016. However, this may change if Aamir Khan's Dangal breaks Sultan's records. In fact, last year too both films of Salman, Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, turned out to be blockbusters. He became the only actor who crossed the Rs 500 crore mark in a year.

Apart from hosting the controversial television show "Bigg Boss 10", the actor is also busy shooting his upcoming flick Tubelight. It is directed by Kabir Khan.

Aamir Khan's Dangal beats Salman Khan's Sultan

On Salman's birthday, the actor will launch an app that will help him connect with his fans personally. Meanwhile, let's take a look at some lesser known facts about the birthday boy.

• Salman Khan is one of the few actors, who made it to People magazine's list for being one of the most handsome men ever in the world.

• There is a restaurant in Mumbai opened by Salman Khan fans dedicated to the superstar, named as "Bhaijaanz". It has all of Salman's favourite dishes on the menu.

• Salman doesn't have an email id to his name, he chooses to avoid communicating through email. When asked about it, he said that he has never felt the need to have an email id as he prefers picking up the phone and telling the person concerned what he has to say.

• Khan was not the first choice for Sooraj Barjatya's film "Maine Pyaar Kiya." There were several newcomers who auditioned for the role, including Yusuf Khan's son Faraaz. He was almost finalised for the film but fell sick at the last moment. The role was then offered to Salman.

• Salman was a swimming champion at school and was even encouraged to represent India.

• The actor made his debut with playback singing for the film "Hello Brother." Recently, he crooned "Main Hoon Hero Tera" for the film "Hero" and garnered immense appreciation from all quarters.

• Salman suffers from trigeminal neuralgia, a facial nerve disorder, also known as the suicide disease.