News of the rescue comes several days after the arrival in Malaysia of another boat carrying dozens of members of the persecuted Muslim minority from Myanmar.

The group of two men, aged 28 and 33, a 20-year-old woman, a 15-year-old girl and an eight-year old boy were spotted Monday in a small boat in waters off southern Thailand and Myanmar, 325 kilometres (176 miles) from Aceh province in Muslim-majority Indonesia.

The fishermen took them back to Aceh on Sumatra island and the group arrived early Friday.

“They were immediately brought to a local hospital for treatment as they were weak,” Abdul Musafir, head of the East Aceh search and rescue team, told AFP.

“But I’m sure they will be fit again after a couple of days in hospital.”

Musafir added that the group said they had been travelling with some two dozen other Rohingya but got separated. He did not provide further details.

East Aceh police said the rescued five were stranded at sea for about 20 days while five others had starved to death and their bodies were thrown overboard.

It has been rare for Rohingya migrants to attempt the sea routes south since Thai authorities clamped down on regional trafficking networks in 2015, sparking a crisis across Southeast Asia as large numbers were abandoned at sea.

But there have been concerns desperate migrants might start taking to the high seas again after mainly Buddhist Myanmar launched a new crackdown last year that forced about 700,000 members of the stateless Muslim minority to flee to Bangladesh.

In 2015 hundreds of Rohingya came ashore in Aceh, where they were welcomed in the staunchly conservative Islamic province.

After laying out the Barisan Nasional coalition’s recent achievements in a 25-minute speech on state television, Najib announced that parliament would be dissolved Saturday to pave the way for the hotly-anticipated poll.

“We have delivered and we will continue to deliver,” he said. “I seek your mandate for Barisan Nasional to rule for another five years.”

Following the dissolution, the election commission will announce the date for the polls in the coming days.

The coalition has been in power since independence from Britain in 1957 but its support has been dropping in recent years. A scandal surrounding sovereign wealth fund 1MDB that captured global headlines has added to its problems.

Billions of dollars were allegedly looted from the fund in an audacious campaign of fraud and money-laundering which is being investigated in several countries, and it is claimed that large sums ended up the personal bank accounts of Najib.

The leader and the fund deny any wrongdoing.

Najib’s United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the main coalition party, has clung on to power by pushing policies that favour the Muslim Malay majority. It was already struggling after losing the popular vote in the 2013 election for the first time in history.

Voters had become increasingly disillusioned over recurring graft scandals, divisive racial politics in the country which is home to substantial ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities, and the rising cost of living.

Despite the problems, the 64-year-leader is tipped to win another five-year term at the head of the coalition after weathering the 1MDB scandal, sacking critics inside government and launching a crackdown that has seen opponents arrested.

Najib has also been helped by an improving economic picture in recent times, and has been seeking to ensure victory by announcing generous handouts to low-income groups, civil servants and farmers.

His government stoked further criticism last week by pushing a controversial redrawing of the electoral map through parliament which critics say will tilt the poll in Najib’s favour. MPs also passed a law banning “fake news” that could see offenders jailed, which some fear could be used to crack down on dissent.

– Mahathir upends race –

Victory is however less certain due to the comeback of Mahathir, 92, who has turned on his former protege Najib over the 1MDB scandal.

In a stunning political volte-face, he was named the prime ministerial candidate in the opposition coalition Pact of Hope, which is filled with parties he crushed during his 22 years in power.

Mahathir has long championed the Malay cause and the opposition hopes he can win over Muslim voters disillusioned with BN, to add to their support base of urban voters and ethnic minorities, particularly the Chinese.

The ex-leader’s political rebirth has raised eyebrows, however, particularly his reconciliation with former nemesis Anwar, a key leader in the opposition.

Anwar was heir apparent to Mahathir until the premier sacked him in 1998 over political differences, and he was then jailed on charges of sodomy and abuse of power. He was jailed again in 2015 on charges his supporters say are trumped up.

While 1MDB has captured global headlines, key issues in the Malay heartland in the country of 32 million people are rising living costs and the economy.

The government lost a vital two-thirds parliamentary majority, needed to amend the constitution, in the 222-seat parliament at the 2008 election and is hoping to win it back. Some 14.9 million people are registered to vote.

Flight TR634, which left Changi Airport at 1.20pm on Thursday (April 5), was escorted back by two Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) F-15SG jets. This is protocol for such incidents, The Straits Times understands.

The flight landed without incident at 3.23pm. A Scoot spokesman said the aircraft was carrying 173 passengers and six crew members.

The police said preliminary investigations indicated that the suspect claimed he had a bomb in his carry-on baggage to a member of the flight crew. The pilot then decided to turn the plane back to Singapore.

A thorough security search was carried out on board the plane and the baggage of the suspect and his two travelling companions was examined. But no suspicious articles were found.

The Straits Times understands that the suspect is Singaporean.

He was arrested under Regulation 8(1) of the United Nations (Anti-Terrorism Measures) Regulations, which states that it is an offence for a person to make false claims that a terrorist act has been, is being or will be carried out.

Those found guilty can be punished with a fine not exceeding $500,000 or with imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years, or both.

The bogus bomb threat caused delays to passengers both in Singapore and Hat Yai.

Passengers on Flight TR634 bound for Hat Yai were finally able to depart again at about 6.30pm after the aircraft was declared safe after investigations and associated procedures were concluded.

Student Daryl Koh, 18, was in Hat Yai waiting to board the return Scoot flight back to Singapore.

Passengers were initially told that the delay was due to technical issues. He said: “We didn’t expect a flight delay, and certainly not a bomb threat.”

In a Facebook post, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said that the two RSAF fighter jets took off within minutes after they were scrambled.

Dr Ng added that RSAF pilots are on standby round the clock, and that “every threat is considered real until proven otherwise”.

This is the second such threat against a Singapore carrier in recent weeks.

Last month, a Singapore Airlines flight from Taipei to Singapore was delayed after a woman called the Taipei police hotline from a payphone, claiming there was a bomb on Flight SQ879.

The plane took off 25 minutes late after the threat was confirmed as a hoax.

SOME SIMILAR SCARES AROUND THE WORLD

Feb 3, 2018

A Singapore Airlines flight from Taipei to Singapore was delayed after a woman called the Taipei police hotline from a payphone claiming there was a bomb on Flight SQ879. The plane took off 25 minutes late after the threat was confirmed as a hoax.

Sept 14, 2017

A Turkish Airlines plane made an emergency stop while taxiing on the tarmac and evacuated 111 passengers at the Cologne Bonn Airport in Germany after a bomb threat. Officers with sniffer dogs searched the plane, but no explosives were found.

May 31, 2017

A Kuala Lumpur-bound Malaysia Airlines flight was forced to return to Melbourne after a male passenger screamed he had a bomb. The Sri Lankan national was subdued with the help of passengers and later pleaded guilty to attempting to take control of an aircraft.

May 20, 2017

A Turkish man caused a bomb scare aboard an American Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu after he tried to access the cockpit and was seen moving his laptop around. Crew members initiated bomb-threat procedures on the laptop, and the US dispatched two F-22 warplanes to escort the airliner. The laptop turned out to be harmless. The man’s temporary visa was revoked.

Jan 15, 2017

A Eurowings flight from Oman to Germany made an emergency landing in Kuwait after a bomb threat. About 300 people were evacuated, but no explosives were found.

“Amo”, which premieres April 9, is about a high school student who starts selling crystal meth and ends up tangled in a nightmarish world populated by violent kingpins and corrupt officials.

It is the latest up-close examination of the dark side of Philippine life from Cannes-honoured Mendoza, who is a Duterte supporter and has filmed two government advertisements promoting the president’s anti-drug campaign.

“Yes, it (the drug war) is necessary for the Philippines — not only for the Philippines but also other countries afflicted with the drug problem,” the 57-year-old Filipino told AFP in a telephone interview.

“The reason why I did this is so people can see the other side of the coin,” he said — from the point of view of the “victims” as well as the “victimisers”.

Philippine police say they have killed roughly 4,000 drug suspects who fought back during arrest since Duterte launched the war nearly two years ago, promising to rid his nation of narcotics.

But rights groups allege the actual number is three times higher and accuse authorities of slaying unarmed slum-dwellers in a nation where a quarter of the population lives in poverty.

“Amo”, Filipino slang for “master”, explores the drug problem as experienced by different characters, including a student and his policeman uncle.

Mendoza said he would not like the series “to look like propaganda for the government… It is not.”

Nonetheless, the filmmaker stressed he remained an “advocate” against illegal drugs.

Netflix did not respond to AFP’s requests for comment.

– ‘Based on real events’ –

In a Filipino film industry dominated by syrupy, star-driven productions, Mendoza runs an independent production outfit that stands out for its choice of controversial topics.

He crafts stories of ordinary people in situations ranging from prostitution to corruption.

His “Kinatay” (Butchered), a gritty film that graphically depicts the rape, murder and dismemberment of a sex worker, won him the Cannes best director award in 2009.

His films have been well received in Europe and in 2014, Mendoza became the first Filipino director to receive one of France’s highest honours, the Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters).

Mendoza earlier told AFP he learned about the full extent of the nation’s drug problem while doing research for the 2016 film “Ma’ Rosa”, which won the Cannes best actress award.

The director said he did not want to comment on the current state of Duterte’s drug war, or the preliminary examination announced by the International Criminal Court over the crackdown that critics say amounts to war crimes.

“I think my work, including the series I’m doing, speaks volumes about what I want to say. I’d rather have my work do the talking,” he said.

Mendoza said “Amo” was originally shot for a Philippine television station that contracted him to make a series of films.

But he convinced the network boss to “explore… platforms other than free TV” for the series, and sent two of the episodes to Netflix.

“I think one of the reasons why they were interested in the material, in the story, is the way it was shot. It looks very realistic, like a documentary-style shoot and unlike your typical TV series,” Mendoza said.

“This is something based on research, and the police had their input too. Our story was based on real events.”

Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s two-day official visit, which starts Monday, comes after a weeks-long tour of the United States, Britain and Egypt, where the self-styled moderniser courted business leaders and signed a host of multimillion dollar deals.

French President Emmanuel Macron treads a delicate line as he hosts the king-in-waiting in a visit expected to focus on cultural ties and investments, as well as the long-running war in Yemen, dubbed the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

“This is not a traditional state visit,” a source close to the crown prince’s delegation told AFP.

“It is about forging a new partnership with France, not just shopping for deals.”

More than a dozen memorandums of understanding in tourism, energy and transportation are set to be signed between French and Saudi organisations, another source close to the delegation told AFP.

A Franco-Saudi cooperation deal to develop Al Ula, a Saudi city richly endowed with archeological remnants, is also expected to be a central highlight of the visit, he added.

‘Enduring scepticism’

Prince Mohammed’s first visit to France as the heir to the Saudi throne comes after a tumultuous period at home that saw a major military shake-up and a royal purge as he consolidates power to a level unseen by previous rulers.

His global tour is meant to “garner recognition and acceptance as the de facto leader and next king of Saudi Arabia,” Bernard Haykel, a professor at Princeton University, told AFP.

“This is a signal both to domestic as well as international observers that he is in charge and can leave the country for several weeks without any challenge to his authority,” he added.

The 32-year-old prince, well-known as MBS, has used his global tour to project his dazzling reforms including the historic lifting of a ban on women driving, cinemas and mixed-gender concerts, following his public vow to return the kingdom to moderate Islam.

“There is little genuine affection for Saudi Arabia across the West,” Kristin Diwan, of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, told AFP.

“MBS’s clear break with Saudi taboos on women and religious tolerance have been welcomed, but with a fair amount of enduring scepticism.”

Underlying tensions

Saudi officials project strong ties between Prince Mohammed and Macron, both young leaders undertaking the difficult task of reforming their countries, but the trip follows a period of underlying tensions.

Macron waded into a regional crisis last November when Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri tendered his resignation on live television from Riyadh, apparently under pressure from the crown prince.

Macron invited Hariri to Paris for talks and he has since rescinded his resignation.

“There were tensions when MBS reportedly attempted to challenge Macron in his role in the Hariri episode, but later MBS had to back down,” said Abdullah Alaoudh, a Saudi scholar at Yale Law School.

“It’s never easy for an authoritarian like him to accept that.”

In another embarrassment, a French arrest warrant was issued in December against the crown prince’s sister for allegedly ordering her bodyguard to beat up a worker at her Paris apartment in 2016.

Macron also faces the challenge of bolstering ties with the world’s top crude exporter while managing other regional relationships in the Middle East.

The crown prince has emphasised closer ties with US President Donald Trump just as Macron has sought to improve relations with Iran, Saudi Arabia’s arch-nemesis.

Trump has threatened to abandon the 2015 nuclear cooperation deal with Iran unless improvements are proposed by May 12.

The challenge for Macron is to convince the crown prince that “it is better to have the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran than no deal at all,” Denis Bauchard, of the French Institute of International Relations, told AFP.

Macron also faces seething criticism from over the export of arms to Saudi Arabia, including Caesar artillery guns, sniper rifles and armoured vehicles despite the kingdom’s role in the Yemen crisis.

Three out of four French people believe it is “unacceptable” to sell weapons to Saudi Arabia, according to a poll last month by independent research group YouGov.

And this week, 10 international rights groups implored Macron to pressure Prince Mohammed over the Saudi-led bombing campaign in Yemen.

But there are several areas of convergence, including anti-terrorism cooperation as France mourns the latest jihadist rampage in the towns of Carcassonne and Trebes last month where a 25-year-old Islamist killed four people.

The incident triggered a new debate in France over radical Salafist interpretations of Islam which originated in Saudi Arabia.

Macron’s office said the trip would also focus on investment in the digital economy as well as renewable energy, as the oil-rich kingdom invests billions of dollars in the sector in a bid to diversify.

After weeks of dodging questions about the alleged tryst, Trump offered a flat “no” when asked if he knew about the payment made in the final weeks of the 2016 election.

The actress, Stephanie Clifford — who goes by the screen name Stormy Daniels — claims she received the money to cover up a sexual encounter with Trump more than a decade ago.

The president’s long-time lawyer Michael Cohen has admitted to making the payment, and has accused Daniels of breaching a non-disclosure agreement she signed in return.

Last month Daniels told 21 million TV watchers that she had unprotected sex with Trump after meeting at a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe in July 2006 — shortly after Trump’s wife Melania gave birth to their son.

That alleged affair and the suspected cover up presents a legal and political minefield for Trump.

Support among America’s evangelical Christians — who make up 25 percent of the population — was pivotal to his election victory.

While the alleged sexual encounter was said to be consensual, the payment to Daniels could constitute a undeclared campaign contribution.

Trump insisted he did not know why Cohen made the payment. “You’ll have to ask Michael Cohen. Michael is my attorney. You’ll have to ask Michael.”

Asked if he knew where the money came from, Trump told reporters on Air Force One: “No, I don’t know.”

That claim was immediately challenged by Daniels’ lawyer Michael Avenatti.

“We very much look forward to testing the truthfulness of Mr. Trump’s feigned lack of knowledge concerning the $130k payment,” he tweeted.

“As history teaches us, it is one thing to deceive the press and quite another to do so under oath.”

Trump had never spoken publicly about the allegations and has repeatedly ignored questions from reporters about the issue, which has dogged the White House for months.

Daniels is challenging the validity of the non-disclosure agreement in court, saying Trump never countersigned it — a claim that Trump’s comments on Thursday would appear to support.

Such contracts, while legal, have frequently been used by powerful men to hush up affairs, workplace harassment or even alleged sexual abuse.

Daniels is also suing Cohen for defamation and has sought to force the president to testify under oath.

So far the First Lady has not responded, but her spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham urged respect.

“While I know the media is enjoying speculation & salacious gossip, I’d like to remind people there’s a minor child who’s name should be kept out of news stories when at all possible,” she said in a tweet.

Leonard Doyle, director of media and communication at the UN International Organization for Migration, said that Facebook and WhatsApp have become the media of choice for people smugglers in the Middle East and Africa to advertise their services and make arrangements with migrants.

But many of those groups abuse migrants, taking travelers hostage and beating them to demand ransoms from their families, he said.

As it now blocks violent jihadist groups like Islamic State from promoting itself on Facebook pages, Facebook should police people smugglers doing the same thing, Doyle said in an online discussion hosted by Refugees Deeply, a migration-focused media group.

“They have turbocharged the access to smugglers,” he said.

“Big tech companies have a huge responsibility that they are not living up to.”

Smugglers use all kinds of social media and messaging applications to communicate, but Facebook’s pages, private groups and the Facebook Live video app, as well as WhatsApp, are by far the most popular, according to experts.

Leonard noted that people searching for child pornography on social media can get warnings that what they are doing is illegal.

Facebook and others need to do the same to help stem migration abuses, Doyle said.

Facebook especially needs to help crack down on the extortion taking place, with West Africans the leading targets. Smugglers kidnap migrants, torture them and use social media to send pictures and video to families to demand money.

“We cannot continue to allow people to be tortured, Doyle said.

He said that Facebook has largely ignored his overtures, putting him in contact with low-level officials who do little to help.

“They say its hard, but they don’t really try,” he said.

“The motivation of the big tech companies is to get customers…. There’s a kind of race for market domination in the developing world.”

The agreement concluded the third Mekong River Commission summit yesterday.

Construction of dams on the mainstream of the Mekong – including those in Pak Beng, Xayaburi and Don Sahong in Laos – are strongly opposed by local residents and downstream countries due to their environmental and social impacts. Studies have also indicated that the dams pose a threat to food security in the region.

The MRC took the projects through its “prior consultation process” under the 1995 Mekong Agreement as it sought the opinions of all stakeholders. The procedure was deemed a success for the MRC by some observers, as many hydropower projects were modified to be more environmentally friendly, though failing to satisfy many local residents.

Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Laos Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyan Xuan Phuc attended the summit yesterday in Siem Reap. The Siem Reap Declaration issued after the meeting said “the learnt experiences of the prior consultation process for the three proposed mainstream hydropower projects are vital for the management of the Mekong River basin”.

Hun Sen, whose country hosted the summit, said: “I would like to reaffirm our solidarity and our highest political commitment and support to the effective implementation of the 1995 Mekong Agreement.”

Prayut said Thailand, whose private companies are involved in construction of dams in the river, is ready to cooperate with the MRC and other members to manage the Mekong for sustainable use. Thailand gives importance to disaster management and readiness to deal with climate change, he said. Proposed projects need to balance their benefits and environmental implications, Prayut said.

However, the declaration said there remain significant challenges for the health of the Mekong ecosystem and community needs. The long list included rapid economic and population growth; increased demand for water, food and energy; urbanisation; industrialisation; the loss of environmental assets; preserving wetlands and natural fisheries; deforestation; floods and droughts; and the risks to biodiversity and people’s livelihoods and assets.

These issues are further compounded by the effects of climate change on top of past and future development projects along the river and its tributaries.

The surge in development along the river highlights the increasing need for a focus on sustainability and ensuring the coordinated operational management of tributary and mainstream water-resource development projects, noted the declaration.

Prayut and Hun Sen met on the sidelines of the summit to discuss bilateral ties, including boosting trade, opening more border checkpoints and connecting rail lines.

The United States has urged all stakeholders, including the Asean bloc, to take the proper steps to provide protection and adequate humanitarian assistance to Rohingya –those remaining in Myanmar’s Rakhine state and those in squalid refugee camps in Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, the Rohingya community in Thailand has called on the nation to participate in solving the crisis.

The Rohingya crisis was discussed during the 31st US-Asean dialogue in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, said US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Southeast Asia Patrick Murphy.

“The collective body of participants agreed on the need for steps to improve the delivery of humanitarian assistance, create a secure environment, particularly for very vulnerable Rohingya,” he said in a phone conference with journalists in the region.

“We also discussed the need to assist Myanmar with its transition to democracy. There was certainly an acknowledgement of the complex environment there,” he said.

Some 700,000 refugees have fled from Rakhine state since August last year when a militant group attacked Myanmar security outposts in the western state, prompting a heavy handed response under the cover of a “clearance operation” by the Tatmadaw (Myanmar military) that killed thousands of people. Rohingya have been victims of atrocities including arson, torture, murder, gang rape and massacre within their Rakhine villages and as they travelled to the Bangladesh border over the past months.

Murphy (left) is in the 31st US-Asean Diloague in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday

“We are very concerned for the plight of the Rohingya, both the populations that have fled into Bangladesh, and those that remain,” Murphy said. “This has been a massive human population movement, and it’s the result of insecurity, in some cases atrocities and abuses. And it’s been very, very troubling.”

While de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi continues to be strongly criticised over what some see as complicity in what the UN has labelled as “elements of genocide”, the international community is reluctant to undermine Myanmar’s nascent democratic government.

Murphy said the international community wants to support the government and see it come to terms with the crisis.

“Of course it’s a complex problem and it’s longstanding, and the elected government in Nay Pyi Daw has inherited this problem and they are struggling with it,” Murphy said.

The US and Asean nations want to help encourage actions that bring about protection for vulnerable populations, ensure adequate delivery of humanitarian assistance, and pave the way for repatriation so that the Rohingya can return to their homes in a safe, dignified, voluntary manner, he said.

“We also want to pursue accountability for those who have committed abuses and atrocities in order to bolster the rule of law and ensure that such events do not repeat themselves,” Murphy said.

Asked if the international community could address the Rakhine crisis at its root cause, rather than just providing humanitarian assistance, Murphy said there’s some reason to be encouraged, because the government itself had established the Kofi Annan Commission and embraced last August’s recommendations that came from that process.

The 88 “very solid” recommendations of the Commission address short, medium and long-term challenges, and if implemented, could go a long way to addressing the root causes of underdevelopment, discrimination, the lack of rights in citizenship, he said.

Suu Kyi picked Thai former foreign minister Surakiart Sathirathai to lead an advisory board to implement the Annan recommendations.

Surakiart led a board meet with Aung San Suu Kyi last month and with Singapore foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan this week as they seek ways to help end the crisis with broadened Asean roles.

However Siyeed Alam, chairman of Rohingya Association in Thailand, said yesterday that Asean should allow the Rohingya communities in the region to participate in the problem-solving process.

“Asean and the Surakiart board are acting as if they are white-washing the Myanmar government,” he told The Nation. “They said they are doing it for the Rohingya but never listen to our voices.”

Khan, son of celebrated screen writer Salim Khan, has been jailed for five years for shooting endangered wildlife nearly 20 years ago.

Accused of everything from killing a homeless man in a hit-and-run to assaulting a former Miss World, prison for poaching rare black bucks is a scenario that few could have imagined for Khan.

But like the earlier brushes with scandal, it is unlikely to wound his reputation.

The Indian superstar’s latest blockbuster “Tiger Zinda Hai” (Tiger Is Alive) has made $85 million worldwide, underpinning his popularity.

According to Forbes, Salman Khan made $37 million in 2017, coming in at number nine on its list of the world’s highest paid actors, one position below fellow Bollwood star Shah Rukh Khan.

His 2016 movie “Sultan”, in which Khan played an ageing wrestler, notched up one of the highest-grossing opening weekends in Hindi cinema history, proving that for his legions of fans the body-building actor known as “Bhai”, Hindi for “brother”, can do no wrong.

The actor has a cult-like status in star-obsessed India. Most of his devotees are young men who envy his glamorous lifestyle.

They are largely from the urban masses around India who eke out a living in Mumbai and other cities but dream of more.

They emulate his Bollywood big hair and wear pirated T-shirts emblazoned with Khan’s charity “Being Human”. At weekends they gather outside his home where Khan waves from his balcony.

Indian Bollywood actor Salman Khan arrives at a court to hear the verdict in the long-running wildlife poaching case against him in Jodhpur on April 5, 2018. Salman Khan was found guilty April 5 of killing endangered Indian wildlife nearly two decades ago, a prosecutor said, a charge that could see the Bollywood superstar jailed for six years. // AFP PHOTO 

Khan has never married, which has only augmented his offscreen aura.

Bollywood film industry analyst Komal Nahta said the conviction and any jail term would only delay movies but not seriously harm his career.

“He is a superstar whose films guarantee huge box office numbers,” Nahta told AFP. “A jail term might affect a few films that are in the pipeline.”

“These films can wait as they have not yet begun production and at present it would only mean a loss of time rather than money investment.”

“He has always been the poster boy of a large section of the youth population,” filmmaker Nikkhil Advani, who directed Khan in the 2007 romantic drama “Salaam E Ishq”, told AFP.

– Hit-and-run case –

Khan has starred in more than 100 films and television shows since his first hit “Maine Pyar Kiya” (I Fell in Love) in 1989. He has been named best actor at the Bollywood Filmfare awards 11 times since 1990.

He breaks records nearly every year, defying the controversy that has dogged his personal life.

Khan was sentenced to five years’ jail in 2002 for killing a homeless man in a late-night hit-and-run crash. That was overturned in 2015 but the acquittal is now being challenged in the Supreme Court.

Khan spent a week in prison in 1998 when first accused of using unlicensed arms to shoot the black buck.

His image also took a hit when he was accused of assaulting former Miss World and Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai during a relationship which ended more than a decade ago. Khan has denied ever hitting any women.

Director Kabir Khan, who worked with Khan on “Bajrangi Bhaijaan”, one of his most acclaimed movies, believes his misdemeanours hint at a “vulnerability” that audiences relate to.

“He makes politically incorrect statements but that seems to endear him to audiences who see him the way he is,” he told AFP.

“He’s immensely popular because he wears his heart on his sleeve, he’s a bad boy and a brat, but then he does all this good work with Being Human.

“His fans stand by him and overlook many of his indiscretions by saying his heart is in the right place.”

Khan describes himself as a “humanitarian” on his Twitter profile and filmmaker Advani believes his “image makeover” has helped him persuade fans “to feel that he was always misunderstood and somewhat scapegoated”.

Khan’s following has been enhanced by his hosting of the Indian version of reality TV show “Big Brother”. He has also won praise for taking on difficult roles, such as “Sultan”, where his weight fluctuates wildly.

“He isn’t just playing safe and holding on to the success, unlike some of his peers,” said Kabir Khan.