Salman was greeted by jubilant supporters at his Mumbai home late Thursday following his release from Jodhpur prison, western India, where he was held after being found guilty of shooting an endangered gazelle during a 1988 hunting trip.

"I will never forget these three days in my entire life," he told reporters.

"Whatever has to happen will happen," he said, adding: "The five-year sentence is something I will not be able to take."

Khan, one of India's most famous actors, was forced to sleep on the floor and had a convicted murderer serving a life term as a cellmate, reports said.

His cellmate -- who had reportedly earned the nickname "Hero" for his brief friendship with the actor -- carried Khan's bags to the jail door and broke into tears when he left.

Khan, 40, who needs the court's permission to travel overseas, said he hoped to join a "world tour" of stars from India's film industry due to begin performances in the United States this month.

Khan's jail time interrupted his work schedule, including a multi-million dollar Bollywood project with former Miss World Priyanka Chopra.

In February Khan was given a suspended one-year jail sentence and fined 5,000 rupees (113 dollars) for killing two black buck deer during a separate 1998 hunting expedition.

Khan, no stranger to controversy, also faces charges of manslaughter after a road accident in 2002 left one person dead and four injured.

The actor has denied allegations that he was at the wheel, drunk and without a licence, when his car ran over people sleeping on a sidewalk in Mumbai, home to the country's film industry.