As Kabir Khan says every time, "Bajrangi Bhaijaan is a movie that keeps giving."
Indeed so, as the film completes 10 years on July 17, 2025, it brings back a wave of nostalgic memories of seeing Salman Khan as the devout Bajrangi and his love for a little mute girl, Munni (Harshaali Singh). What unravels is an unconventional love story imbued with humanity.
The film explored the India-Pakistan conflict through the story of a little girl, Munni (Harshaali Malhotra), who gets estranged from her mother in India. It is with the help of Bajrangi (Salman Khan), a devout Indian who takes a pledge to bring her back home to Pakistan. Despite the tensions between the two nations, the film delivered a message of hope and unity.
In an exclusive conversation with NDTV, Kabir Khan talks about why Salman Khan was always his first choice and how Bajrangi Bhaijaan set a bar to match with his other films.
"Salman Loves Children, And He Felt Strongly For The Film"
As many things go with the Internet, there was a mention of how Bajrangi Bhaijaan was initially offered to Hrithik Roshan and Aamir Khan.
Kabir Khan laughs it off as he says, "You can't believe anything that is on the Internet. But yes, before Bajrangi Bhaijaan's screenwriter V Vijayendra Prasad brought the film to me, it was offered to Aamir Khan."
But as for Kabir Khan, there wasn't an iota of doubt that he wanted Salman Khan to lead the film.
Citing his reasons, the filmmaker says, "What the film stands for is something that I knew Salman would identify with very strongly. He also loves children. He was stunned when I narrated the film to him, and that's why it became his first production. Bajrangi happened because I had the privilege of having directed him in a film before that, which is Ek Tha Tiger. It was through that film that we got to know each other better, and I have spoken before about how we had a lot of discussions and arguments too. Which is good, it helped us."
Salman Khan as Pawan Kumar Chaturvedi, Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015) pic.twitter.com/5gu7481KeA
— The Cinéprism (@TheCineprism) July 8, 2025
"Soon, there were talks about the next film that we would discuss. Since Ek Tha Tiger was a huge hit, the industry was hoping for another hit action film. But I knew, I didn't want to repeat what I've already done with Salman, and in the course of the conversations that I used to have with him, which were not about films, I learnt about things that Salman feels deeply about. And that's how he ended up in Bajrangi."
"Kareena Had Tears In Her Eyes"
Kareena as Rasika owned the limited screen time that she was given. But not once did she question it.
Kabir Khan recalls, "I was very keen on having her onboard because Kareena's character is the voice of reason in the film. But I was also aware that Kareena was a huge star."
Here are some new stills of Kareena as Rasika in Bajrangi Bhaijaan! pic.twitter.com/Heg9qoVUe2
— Kareena Kapoor Khan FC (@KareenaK_FC) July 10, 2015
He continues, "I knew that Kareena's character is predominantly less in the second half.
I told her that it's not as big a role, but it's a very important role, and therefore, if you don't mind, I want to narrate the whole film to you. And if you like the film, then please, come on board. And I narrated the whole film to her, and she had tears in her eyes. At the end of it, she said it's a beautiful film, and I just want to be a part of it. And that was very gracious of her."
Kabir Khan On Munni (Harshaali Malhotra): "She Wasn't Starstruck By Salman"
Harshaali Malhotra was just 6 years old when she played Munni aka Shahida. Recalling the good times, Kabir Khan says, "She knew Salman, she had seen his films, and she knew that he's big, but she also had this great confidence in herself. And I remember she went and she told Salman that "I want to be a star."
A still from the film
"She's 17 years old now. I've spoken to her mother once in a while, and I'm excited that she's doing a film now. She was fabulous. Bajrangi Bhaijaan wouldn't be half the film without her. She auditioned over 2000 girls, and she fit the bill."
Has Bajrangi Bhaijaan Become The Gold Standard To Which All Kabir Khan Films Are Compared?
Kabir Khan's signature style of films included a cocktail of socio-political issues, a vast range of global politics and underneath it all, human emotions that uplift the storytelling.
What worked miraculously for Bajrangi Bhaijaan was the determination of a simpleton like Bajrangi, who would stop at nothing to ensure the lost child is reunited with her mother in Pakistan. And that's exactly the human touch that stayed with the audience, and 10 years down the line, it still resonates.
But does that make it sometimes a task to match up to the expectations of the audience?
Kabir Khan laughs, "Salman and I are fortunate to have a challenge like this, if any. It's been 10 years now, but every week it's on television. It's still running in Japan. So it's very difficult sometimes to live up to a film that has reached that level of appreciation in the audience's mind. Which brings me to the chatter around a sequel to Bajrangi."
Watched Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015)
— Marie-justalittleSRKian 𓀠🇧🇪 (@MHeerins) July 13, 2025
A lovely, warm fable with a deeply humanist message. Good musical accompaniment (the chicken song 😂) and plenty of welcome humour to lighten the emotional moments. The ending, however, weighs 1 tonne
3,5/5 pic.twitter.com/78846qnvYV
He continues, "Right now, the conventional wisdom in the industry is that anything that is a franchise will work. So, have a franchise of one of the biggest films. People think we are stupid, but the reason why we're not doing it is that the last thing Salman and I would want is to make a sequel for the wrong reasons. It's like exploiting the commercial success of a film that is so loved. Unless we get a story that we feel strongly about, let the legacy of Bajrangi Bhaijaan prevail."
Kabir Khan On Censorship: "You Have To Choose Your Battles"
Censorship is one of the most trending topics of discussion in the entertainment industry right now. The stakes increase when the film is set against a political backdrop, as was the case in Bajrangi Bhaijaan.
In light of potential communal tension that may arise, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had cleared Bajrangi Bhaijaan after 5 cuts. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had onboarded two muslims on a seven-member committee to clear the film.
Some heavy censorship was done, particularly in Pakistan - from removing a shot of the Pakistan embassy being attacked in Delhi, scenes featuring Pakistani soldiers and the concluding climax where people from the Pakistan side of the border chanted "Bajrangi Bhaijaan".
Kabir Khan says that, mostly everything was sorted amicably with the censorship board, and he stood his ground where he felt the demand was unjustified.
He tells NDTV, "There were certain points at which I stood my ground and I argued. At the end of the day, you have to choose your battles. So if there's something that is irrelevant and nothing that will affect the soul of the film, I agreed. The censor board and the committee that saw it loved it. There was a wrong sort of idea about the film. But all's well that ends, and they understood when they saw the film."
Kabir Khan On Filmmakers Wary About Making Films With Political Background
10 years is a long time, as Kabir Khan agrees. The scenario and audience's reception of films with social-political themes have vastly changed. In the age of social media, one never knows what might end up hurting one's emotional or religious perspectives.
Does that make directors wary of such subjects?
Kabir Khan says, "A lot of films get attacked. Somebody in some community will get up and say what they don't like. Unfortunately, the more high-profile your film is, the more it gets opened up to these kinds of attacks. Some people are only doing it for publicity. Some people might have a genuine grievance against the film."
"Sometimes these controversies help the business of the film, and those films end up becoming more successful. But there are a lot of people who also just do it for 5 seconds of fame. So yes, I think people become a little wary, and so maybe they're going through their material more carefully. I don't think anybody wants to hurt anyone deliberately," concludes the director.
As the film celebrates yet another milestone of clocking 10 years of its release, Kabir Khan stands by his only mantra for a good film - "I have a feeling that my heart is in the right place, I follow my heart."
