Aishwarya Rai did first three advertisements for Rs 5,000; had a violent love story with Salman Khan, recalls producer

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Praising Aishwarya, he added, “She’s a lovely human being. I’ve known her all my life, supremely dignified. These are the kind of people who should be the voice of our industry. I ask this question very often: Who’s the brand ambassador of Bollywood? Who’s the custodian?”

Salman Khan went to Aishwarya Rai’s house

In the same conversation, Shailendra also spoke about Aishwarya’s highly publicized and controversial relationship with Salman Khan, as the producer was at one point close to both of them. Referring to the infamous incident where an allegedly angry Salman Khan reportedly went to Aishwarya’s residence late at night, creating a ruckus, he said, “I know of things. Aishwarya at one point was staying in the same building as Sachin Tendulkar, if you remember? And Salman went there and all that, you remember all of it? Aishwarya came to an award show wearing dark glasses and stuff like that. As they say in Romeo and Juliet, it’s a violent love story. He’s a passionate guy, and she’s a very dignified, very respectful person, all of that I know of her. She’s brilliant.”

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When asked if Aishwarya ever opened up about what happened between the two and why she wore dark glasses while attending the awards ceremony, the producer immediately said, “No, no. We weren’t that close. I knew her from the days of Rajeev Mulchandani (supermodel)? I think that was her first relationship, and she hasn’t had many relationships in the industry. She is a very private person. I think we should respect that.”

Shailendra also opened up about the incident that led to the end of his friendship with Salman Khan. He had approached the actor for a film titled Captain, hoping to collaborate on a full-fledged commercial project. “Our friendship was very strong, so I went to him and said I want to make this film with you, a full commercial project,” he recalled. The meeting, however, didn’t unfold as expected. “When I went to meet him, he had called several people into the meeting. That was my last meeting with Salman. I felt deeply insulted,” Shailendra said.