When Hotmail Founder Sabeer Bhatia Wanted To Marry Aishwarya Rai And Had To Face Salman Khan Instead

New Delhi:

Hotmail founder Sabeer Bhatia once found himself at the centre of a Bollywood-style drama involving none other than Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Salman Khan.

A Heated Exchange At A High-Profile Party

Sabeer had publicly expressed his admiration for Aishwarya Rai and even said in an old interview that he would like to marry her.

According to The Times of India, Salman Khan decided to confront his perceived rival at a party in 2001 because of this. Greeting him with a sardonic grin, the actor said, "So you're the guy who wants to marry Ash?"

Caught off guard, the entrepreneur, who was accompanied by television host Simi Garewal, attempted to laugh it off, calling it a media-fuelled rumour. But the Bajrangi Bhaijaan star wasn't done, and he quipped, "She's a very nice girl."

The evening took an even cheekier turn when the Hotmail founder posed for a photo with a lady guest. Salman Khan suddenly joined in, draping his arm around the woman for the picture. In the process, he "accidentally" stubbed his cigarette on Sabeer Bhatia's hand.

When the entrepreneur brushed off the burn, the actor added, "Oops. Finally, you've got 'ash' on your hands." It was a moment that reportedly left the room stunned.

The Many Links Of Sabeer Bhatia

Aishwarya Rai wasn't the only Bollywood star romantically linked to Sabeer Bhatia. Over the years, rumours connected him to Ameesha Patel and Sushmita Sen as well. However, none of these alleged relationships materialised into anything lasting. Eventually, the tech pioneer married his longtime family friend, Tanya Sharma, on March 9, 2008. The couple had a daughter, Arianna, but divorced in 2013 after five years of marriage.

About Sabeer Bhatia

Long before his name appeared in Bollywood gossip, Sabeer Bhatia had already made history. In 1996, alongside his partner Jack Smith, he launched Hotmail, the world's first web-based email service that allowed users to check mail from any internet-connected device.

By 1997, Microsoft recognised its potential and acquired Hotmail for USD 400 million (about Rs 3,519 crore today). Though his later ventures, JaxtrSMS, Arzoo Inc., and most recently, ShowReel, didn't replicate Hotmail's success, Sabeer Bhatia remains a symbol of innovation.

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