Matin To Harshaali: Salman Khan's Little Co-Stars (Nearly) Stole The Show

New Delhi: Salman Khan's Tubelight releases this Friday and it seems that the formula is quite similar to his 2015 hit Bajrangi Bhaijaan. A naive Salman Khan + Kabir Khan (director) + an adorable kid (Matin Rey Tangu) + an emotional story, which involves crossing India's border (this time Salman is headed to China). We have no complaints because Bajrangi Bhaijaan was received well by critics (but Salman Khan doesn't care about reviews, as he keeps repeating), his fans and of course, the Bollywoodwallahs. In fact, the movie's emotional graph moved Aamir Khan to tears, who famously needed a hand-towel to wipe away his tears after a special screening.

Now, Kabir Khan has promised that Salman's performance in Tubelight is '5 times' better than what it was in Bajrangi Bhaijaan (don't know if we can handle so much awesomeness). Kabir Khan also said that Salman will be seen in a very different way in Tubelight. We know from the trailers that Laxman (Salman Khan) is deeply attached to his brother Bharat (Sohail Khan) who went missing during the Indo-China war of 1962. We have heard (and watched) Tubelight's song Tinka Tinka Dil Mera, in which Laxman is looking for his brother and yes, it's quite emotional (probably also because of Rahat Fateh Ali Khan's stirring notes).
 

It is also Salman Khan's bond with eight-year-old Matin Rey Tangu which will pull the audiences to the theatres on June 23. From the trailers of Tubelight, it appears that Matin's character, like Laxman, has lost a loved one to the war and has faith (yakeen) in Laxman's motives. He may not be the focal point of Salman's Tubelight (unlike Harshaali Malhotra in Bajrangi Bhaijaan) but Matin Rey Tangu has what it takes to stand next to Salman Khan and steal the show. Like Salman Khan said at a promotional event of Tubelight, "Matin is a superstar, a superstar of Itanagar."

Watch Matin Rey Tangu being adorable here:
 

As Matin gears up to take the stage, front and centre, in Tubelight, we re-introduce you to Salman's young co-stars from his previous films.

Harshaali Malhotra - Bajrangi Bhaijaan

Salman's Bajrangi Bhaijaan was centered around Harshaali, who played the role of Munni, a young Pakistani girl who got lost in India. Munni, who cannot speak, meets Pawan Kumar Chaturvedi, a Hanuman bhakt (therefore fondly called Bajrangi). Pawan vows to take Munni to her home in Pakistan and their journey to Munni's home is laced with "aww" moments. Harshaali, who was six when the movie was made, won critical acclaim for her performance in the film.
 

Ali Haji - Partner

Ali Haji, who has also worked in Fanaa and Ta Ra Rum Pum, played Salman Khan's 'partner in crime' in Partner. He played the role of Rohan, Naina's (Lara Dutta) son, whom Prem (Salman Khan) had to impress before proposing to Naina.
 

Rohan and Prem fought Chota Don (Rajkumar Yadav) together, co-planned a strategy to re-unite Bhaskar (Govinda) and Priya (Katrina Kaif) and eventually, Rohan helped Prem woo Naina.

Sana Saeed - Kuch Kuch Hota Hai

Sana Saeed played Rahul's (Shah Rukh Khan) daughter Anjali, who wanted her father and his long lost best friend also named Anjali (Kajol) to get married, because her deceased mother Tina (Rani Mukerji) asked her to reunite them. But big Anjali is engaged to Prem (Salman Khan). Oops!
 
This doesn't deter little Anjali, who convinces Prem that big Anjali belongs with Rahul. If it were not for little Anjali, then Prem would have had the happily-ever-after and not Rahul.

Dhairya Sorecha - Baabul

Dhairya Sorecha played Salman Khan's son in Baabul. They shared many scenes but since the film was about Balraj Kapoor's (Amitabh Bachchan) insistence on getting his widowed daughter-in-law remarried, Dhairya didn't get much screen space as compared to Salman's other young co-stars.

Karishma and Shahrukh - Biwi No 1

Karishma and Shahrukh (no, not SRK) played Prem (Salman Khan) and Pooja's (Karisma Kapoor) children in Biwi No 1. They play an instrumental role in bringing their parents back together after Prem leaves Pooja for Rupali (Sushmita Sen). They follow their mother and grandmother's instructions to prove to their father that their mother is 'Biwi No 1.'
 

Tubelight also stars Chinese actress Zhu Zhu and late actor Om Puri. The film will release two days ahead of Eid on June 23. Shah Rukh Khan has a cameo in the Kabir Khan-directed film.