Highlights
- Smita Jayakar recalled how Sanjay Leela Bhansali reprimanded Salman Khan for an unscripted gesture toward Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.
- The incident took place while filming the song Aankhon Ki Gustakhiyan for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam.
- Jayakar also recalled how the actors’ romance became apparent on set and sometimes kept the crew waiting.
Actor Smita Jayakar has recalled a moment from the sets of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam when Salman Khan was reportedly scolded for touching Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s arm during a romantic scene.
Jayakar, who played Aishwarya’s on-screen mother in the 1999 film, said the gesture was not part of the planned sequence. In an interview with Siddharth Kannan, she suggested that Salman acted spontaneously because he was in love with his co-star.
The incident took place while the actors were filming Aankhon Ki Gustakhiyan, a romantic song in which Salman was supposed to walk around a table while Aishwarya stood nearby.
Why Sanjay Leela Bhansali confronted Salman Khan
Recalling the scene, Jayakar said Salman touched Aishwarya’s arm, prompting Bhansali to question the actor about the unscripted movement.
“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?’” she recalled.
Jayakar believed the gesture reflected Salman’s feelings for Aishwarya rather than the director’s instructions for the scene.
“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 said.
According to Jayakar, the moment amused those present, while Aishwarya blushed.
Smita Jayakar recalls Salman and Aishwarya’s romance
Jayakar also spoke about how the actors’ relationship developed during the film’s production. She said their affection for each other was visible and helped bring emotional depth to their on-screen pairing.
“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.
Their romance also reportedly affected the filming schedule. Jayakar recalled that crew members sometimes complained about having to wait for the actors, who would arrive together later than expected.
“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 recalled.
Jayakar added that Salman and Aishwarya would sometimes arrive around 11 am, seemingly unaware that the crew had been waiting for them.
In an earlier interview with Filmymantra, Jayakar also said the relationship helped strengthen the film’s romantic appeal.
“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.
