Sources say that Salman Khan has fallen out with close buddy director Kabir Khan. And, they will never work together again! Well, not until there is a patch-up; and not until Salman gets what he wants. Yawn!
So what’s new about yet another friend turning foe? “Salman loves his friends with all his heart. When they betray him, he turns against them,” says a friend of the actor, who, miraculously, has remained close to the actor over the years.
Evidently, betrayal is an ambivalent concept in Salman’s perspective. When Sanjay Leela Bhan-sali signed Shah Rukh Khan for Devdas, it was ‘betrayal’. When Himesh Reshamiyya began scoring music for other actors, it was ‘betrayal’. While Bhansali stuck to his guns at the cost of Salman’s ire, Himesh swallowed his pride and apologised. “I don’t know what he apologised for but that’s the unwritten code of friendship with Salman Khan. He’s always right!” says an old friend-turned-adversary.
They add, “I have faced his wrath too. I used to be close to Salman. He would call at any hour for long chats. Then it stopped. I was told that he spits venom everytime my name came up later.”
Recently, when Salman had a fall-out with his manager Reshma Shetty, he expected the industry to boycott her! That’s another Salman trait: if you are his friend, his enemies have to be your enemies. “When I was on his ‘wanted’ list, Salman protested violently when I praised Shah Rukh Khan. Their blow-hot-and-cold relationship could fill up a thesis,” reveals the ex-friend.
Does Salman hate or love Shah Rukh? It depends on which side of the bed he wakes up on. Or maybe he tosses a coin. Does falling out with him mean the end of any opportunity to patch-up? It depends on whether you are Himesh Reshamiyya or Vivek Oberoi, Sangeeta Bijlani or Aishwarya Rai. It also depends on how much you are willing to bend. Salman is also alleged to have misbehaved with David Dhawan and Subhash Ghai but they both hugged the actor for being a brat with a golden heart. “Bhai ka dil bahot bada hai. Woh apne doston ka khayal rakhte hain,” says an events manager who knows Salman closely. Sure, superstars who throw their weight around are “bratty”. The rest, if you will, are just bullies.
Vivek Oberoi:
This high-profile bust-up saw Vivek accusing Salman of calling him up 41 times, drunk at night. He also alleged that Salman had threatened to kill him. The topic of contention was Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who Vivek was reportedly in a relationship with back then.
Arijit Singh:
The well-known singer managed to rub Salman the wrong way too! Many years before he was to croon for Sultan, Arijit had reportedly angered Salman at an awards function. Three years after the incident, Arijit’s version of Jag Ghoomeya in the movie was re-recorded by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan amidst much controversy.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali:
Salman, a constant in SLB’s feature films, felt betrayed when Devdas was offered to his then archrival Shah Rukh Khan. Since then he never worked with the director. But according to reports, they have possibly made peace with each other now.
