They've been the best of friends for 17 years now. Even so, Salman Khan and producer Sajid Nadiadwala hate talking about their closeness. On Friendship Day, in an exclusive, Sajid talks about their friendship. Read on...
Yeh Dosti...
It seems strange talking about our relationship. I have known him since 1994. We first connected was on the sets of Karan Arjun in Rajasthan where he was shooting for the song, Bhangda Paale. I was there to narrate a story and he was sitting in a corner under a tree reading a book. After that, we never interacted as producer and director. Of the 15 guests present at my wedding to Wardha, the only two actors were Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt.
The beginning
The first 10 years were outstanding but with age and marriage, I have sobered down. Salman is still the same. I can't keep up anymore. I will always be proud of him. He has been working the last 20 years. He is the cleanest person I know. He is not manipulative or dishonest.
Working together
During the making of our first film together (Jeet), we became friends. It was just the two of us inSwitzerland and we would go cycling. One day I narrated the script of Judwaa and Salman was horrified! 'How can I do this, wear orange shirt and pants and do pelvic thrusts?' was his argument. Till then, he had been a soft-spoken, romantic Rajshri hero. And Raja of Judwaa was not even a tough character. After the first four days of the shoot, I went to Salman's room and told him it was not working out. He told me, 'What do I do? I have never done this before!' I realised I had to get the inhibition out of him. At our next shooting schedule in Mauritius, I coaxed him to have one cocktail to relax. He was doing the Tu Mere Dil Mein Bas Jaa with Ganesh master and the steps involved pelvic thrusts, which he hated and was cribbing about. I had a meeting, and left him drinking his first cocktail on the set. By the time I came back, Salman had gone mad dancing and was doing a fabulous job. I pointed out to him how one drink had made him loosen up. Salman burst out laughing and told me it took him 12 shots! The guy who was uncomfortable wearing orange pants went on to do several films with David after that.
Friends Forever
The best thing about our friendship is: it needn't be spoken about but is understood without being in each other's space all the time. Though we share a producer-actor relationship professionally, it has never come in the way of our friendship. We meet once in two months, party once in a while and send messages on cellphone but from the moment we connected 18 years ago till now our relationship hasn't changed. People around us speculate but we remained untouched by all this. We never discuss these things when we meet.
The buddy bond
When I signed him for a double role in Judwaa some distributors had asked me why I was taking two Salmans when one wasn't doing well but I hadn't even thought about the risk factor. That's why Salman and I connect. He just does what his heart feels, and the camera captures his honesty. What more can I say more about my best buddy? Even if we never do films again, we will still be friends.
Yeh Dosti...
It seems strange talking about our relationship. I have known him since 1994. We first connected was on the sets of Karan Arjun in Rajasthan where he was shooting for the song, Bhangda Paale. I was there to narrate a story and he was sitting in a corner under a tree reading a book. After that, we never interacted as producer and director. Of the 15 guests present at my wedding to Wardha, the only two actors were Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt.
The beginning
The first 10 years were outstanding but with age and marriage, I have sobered down. Salman is still the same. I can't keep up anymore. I will always be proud of him. He has been working the last 20 years. He is the cleanest person I know. He is not manipulative or dishonest.
Working together
During the making of our first film together (Jeet), we became friends. It was just the two of us inSwitzerland and we would go cycling. One day I narrated the script of Judwaa and Salman was horrified! 'How can I do this, wear orange shirt and pants and do pelvic thrusts?' was his argument. Till then, he had been a soft-spoken, romantic Rajshri hero. And Raja of Judwaa was not even a tough character. After the first four days of the shoot, I went to Salman's room and told him it was not working out. He told me, 'What do I do? I have never done this before!' I realised I had to get the inhibition out of him. At our next shooting schedule in Mauritius, I coaxed him to have one cocktail to relax. He was doing the Tu Mere Dil Mein Bas Jaa with Ganesh master and the steps involved pelvic thrusts, which he hated and was cribbing about. I had a meeting, and left him drinking his first cocktail on the set. By the time I came back, Salman had gone mad dancing and was doing a fabulous job. I pointed out to him how one drink had made him loosen up. Salman burst out laughing and told me it took him 12 shots! The guy who was uncomfortable wearing orange pants went on to do several films with David after that.
Friends Forever
The best thing about our friendship is: it needn't be spoken about but is understood without being in each other's space all the time. Though we share a producer-actor relationship professionally, it has never come in the way of our friendship. We meet once in two months, party once in a while and send messages on cellphone but from the moment we connected 18 years ago till now our relationship hasn't changed. People around us speculate but we remained untouched by all this. We never discuss these things when we meet.
The buddy bond
When I signed him for a double role in Judwaa some distributors had asked me why I was taking two Salmans when one wasn't doing well but I hadn't even thought about the risk factor. That's why Salman and I connect. He just does what his heart feels, and the camera captures his honesty. What more can I say more about my best buddy? Even if we never do films again, we will still be friends.
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