Sooraj Pancholi on Salman Khan’s fondness for him: ‘He did so much for me when I had no scope of any happiness’

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Talking about Salman Khan’s ‘unconditional’ support for him, the actor said, “He did so much for me when I had no scope of any happiness. He came there as a messiah and helped me. He was there for me unconditionally. I bonded with him on the sets of Ek Tha Tiger. I was the last AD and got a lot of time to spend with him; that’s where he got some kind of liking for me. I don’t know why. I don’t know why he wanted to help me, and he stuck by his words. Today, whatever I am is because of his push.”

Sooraj also revealed how Salman had offered him his debut film Hero as a birthday gift. Recalling that incident, Sooraj shared, “During Ek Tha Tiger, we were in Mardin, Turkey, in the mountains. It was cold. I had gone to sleep, and at 4 am, there was a knock on the door. My roommate saw through the peephole that Mr Salman Khan was standing outside. So he woke me up. We opened the door, and he asked both of us to come to his room at that very moment. We walked to his hotel, and then he sat me down, made me meet Reshma Shetty, and said she would manage my work from now on.”

“He wished me a happy birthday and gave me the contract for my first film. As an assistant director, he had put me on the film. He called me and asked me to come to Yash Raj. There, he made me meet Kabir Khan and asked him to take me as an AD on the film. My father and he aren’t friends. They know each other due to the industry, but I don’t know why he has this liking towards me. I still question it and ask him sometimes, ‘Why me?’ And he just smiles,” the actor added.

Sooraj Pancholi’s lastest film Kesari Veer hit screens on Friday. The movie also stars Suniel Shetty and Vivek Oberoi in important roles.