Sanjay Leela Bhansali scolded Salman Khan for touching Aishwarya Rai,’ recalls Smita Jayakar: ‘He was in love but that wasn’t how the scene was supposed to be done’ | Hindi Movie News

Actor Smita Jayakar has revisited the sets of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’, recalling how the filmmaker once scolded Salman Khan for touching Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s arm during the song ‘Aankhon Ki Gustakhiyan’. Smita, who played Aishwarya’s on-screen mother in the 1999 film, said Salman’s gesture was spontaneous and stemmed from his feelings for the actress, even though it was not part of the scene. She also recalled how the romance between the two actors unfolded during the shoot and became evident to the people around them.Salman and Aishwarya reportedly fell in love while working on ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’, and their relationship became closely linked to the film’s romantic storyline. According to Smita, their affection for each other was visible on set and added to the chemistry they brought to the screen.Recalling their relationship during that period, Smita said in an interview with Siddharth Kannan “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.”However, their romance also meant that the two actors occasionally kept the crew waiting. Smita recalled how other team members would complain about their late arrivals, even as she found it difficult to be critical of two people in love.“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.According to Smita, Salman and Aishwarya would sometimes turn up together around 11 am, seemingly unaware that the entire crew had been waiting for them.“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,” she added.Smita also recounted an incident from the filming of ‘Aankhon Ki Gustakhiyan’, a romantic song featuring Salman and Aishwarya in ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’. During one sequence, Salman was supposed to walk around a table while Aishwarya stood nearby. However, he reportedly touched her arm, a gesture that was not part of the planned choreography.Bhansali noticed the unplanned movement and immediately questioned the actor about it.“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?’” Smita recalled.She believed Salman had acted on his feelings for Aishwarya rather than simply following the scene as directed.“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.Smita added that the incident left those present amused, while Aishwarya blushed as the affection between the two actors became apparent to the crew.In an earlier interview with Filmymantra, Smita had also spoken about how Salman and Aishwarya’s relationship developed during the film’s production. She felt their real-life romance contributed to the emotional appeal of their on-screen pairing.“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.