Actor Smita Jayakar, who played Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's mother in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, has shared memories of Salman Khan and Aishwarya's real-life romance while filming the 1999 film.
In a conversation with Siddhartha Kannan, she recalled an incident in which director Sanjay Leela Bhansali reprimanded Salman for making an unscripted gesture towards his co-star.
Why Bhansali Scolded Salman On Set?
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Jayakar recalled an incident during the filming of the song Aankhon Ki Gustakhiyan. Salman was supposed to walk around a table while Aishwarya stood nearby. However, he touched her arm, even though the action was not part of the planned scene.
“Salman had to come and walk all the way around the table, while Aishwarya was standing there. He touched her arm, which he wasn't supposed to do. Sanjay asked him, ‘Salman, why did you touch her?'” Jayakar said.
She explained that Salman appeared to have acted on his feelings for his co-star.
“He just felt like touching her. He was in love, so he touched her, but that wasn't how the scene was supposed to be done. Sanjay shouted at him and asked why he had done that. Salman was only supposed to stand there and look at her in the scene,” she recalled.
The incident reportedly left the crew amused, while Aishwarya blushed.
Real-Life Romance Reflected On Screen
Jayakar also spoke about how the actors' relationship appeared to develop during the film's production. In her view, their feelings for each other were visible, and their chemistry translated naturally to the screen.
“It was blossoming then. They were both in love, and they looked angelic. Aishwarya looked divine at that time. Somehow, it worked for the film. That magic came through on screen,” she told Kannan.
In an earlier interview with Filmymantra, Jayakar had also spoken about how their relationship added to the film.
“Their affair flourished there. And it helped the film a lot. Both of them had those moony-moony eyes, and romance was showing on their faces. That worked very well for the film,” she said.
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Couple Kept The Crew Waiting
Their reported closeness also affected the filming schedule, Jayakar recalled. Crew members would begin work at 7 am but occasionally had to wait until 10 or 11 am for the actors.
“The rest of the crew would complain, saying, ‘These people arrive so late. We have a 7 am shift, and we have been waiting here until 10 am. They still haven't arrived!' But I always felt that when you're in love, what can you say?” she said.
Jayakar added that Salman and Aishwarya would sometimes arrive together around 11 am, seemingly absorbed in each other and unaware that the crew had been waiting.
“They would both arrive at 11 am, together, oblivious to everything around them and to the fact that the entire set was waiting for them. But that's what happens when you're in love,” Jayakar recalled.
Their Romance, Breakup And What Followed
Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam was released in 1999 and featured Salman Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Ajay Devgn. Ismail Darbar's music was a major highlight of the film, with songs like Aankhon Ki Gustakhiyan and Chand Chhupa Badal Mein becoming audience favourites.
Beyond the film, Salman and Aishwarya's romance attracted considerable attention. The two reportedly fell in love during the shoot, but their relationship ended in 2002.
In 2003, reports emerged about an incident involving Salman on the sets of Chalte Chalte, after which Aishwarya was replaced by Rani Mukerji in the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer. Salman later had a public dispute with Vivek Oberoi, who was reportedly dating Aishwarya at the time.
Aishwarya married Abhishek Bachchan in April 2007, and they share a daughter, Aaradhya.
Watch The Interview Here:
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