- Sanjay Leela Bhansali scolded Salman Khan for touching Aishwarya Rai during a shoot in 1999
- Aishwarya Rai avoided publicly discussing her past with Salman Khan citing personal boundaries
- The couple grew close during Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam but broke up in 2002 amid controversies
Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999) has become a repertoire of Salman and Aishwarya's onscreen and offscreen equation over the years as several artistes kept on sharing BTS stories in various interviews.
During a recent conversation, Smita Jayakar, who played Aishwarya Rai's mother in the film, recalled one episode from the shoot when Bhansali shouted at Salman for touching her.
"It was the song sequence of Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan. It was a full table. I was there. Salman goes all around the table and touches Aishwarya's arm which he was not supposed to do. Then Sanjay shouted at him, 'Salman, why did you touch her?' He had to stand and watch her. She had to watch him only," said Smita Jayakar on Siddharth Kannan's show.
During a 2012 Simi Garewal interview, Aishwarya said why she wouldn't speak about Salman Khan publicly.
Simi Garewal asked Aishwarya Rai, "Can you look back at the Salman episode objectively?"
"I think I'd shut it out. I think I wouldn't want to get into looking at it in any way, especially on a public platform. I really wouldn't want to," replied Aishwarya.
Simi sensitively asked her if she felt negative emotions while speaking about the episode.
“I've exorcised my demons. It's a thing of the past. It needs to be left right there,” Aishwarya said emphatically.
Taking a cue from Ms Rai's words, Simi said that if it was a thing of the past, then why did she avoid talking about it publicly?
“I chose not to talk about it because I am not a soloist. I am not a person who lives my life on an ‘I, me, myself' basis. With me comes my family, my loved ones, people I love and care for very dearly. So there's an obvious wall. I don't deny it,” Aishwarya defended her stance.
Aishwarya And Salman Khan's Breakup
The couple grew close around 1999 while working on Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam.
In 2002, the couple had an ugly breakup. Reports also suggested that Salman stormed the sets of Aishwarya's film Chalte Chalte (2003), following which she was replaced by Rani Mukerji as the lead opposite Shah Rukh Khan. Later, when Aishwarya was in a relationship with Vivek Oberoi, Salman Khan also had a public feud with him over Aishwarya.
Aishwarya Rai has been married to actor Abhishek Bachchan since April 2007. They share a daughter, Aaradhya.