‘Salman Khan had boycotted all photographers at the time’: Avinash Gowariker recalls how Bhai’s impromptu shoot ‘with a gun’ changed Judwaa climax

Photographer Avinash Gowariker recalled the story of how he won Salman Khan's trust at a time when he had boycotted all magazines and photographers.

By: Entertainment Desk

New Delhi | Updated: June 9, 2023 02:03 PM IST

3 min read

Salman Khan in the poster of Judwaa. (Photo: Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment)

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Celebrity photographer Avinash Gowariker looked back on his beginnings, and credited three people for contributing to his early success — his cousin Ashutosh Gowariker, and actors Aamir Khan and Salman Khan. In a new interview, he repeated one of his mantras: “If Salman Khan likes you, life is set.”

And to his good fortune, Salman liked him. But not before the superstar called him over to his house one day to double check if he could be trusted. Avinash recalled in an appearance on Cyrus Broacha’s podcast that Salman had banned photographers at the time because they’d circulate his pictures under the table for cash. Avinash said that he was introduced to Salman by Sohail Khan, who was in the same school as him.

Also read | Avinash Gowariker recalls Salman Khan’s memorable Judwaa poster was clicked ‘just for fun’: ‘It had nothing to do with the film’

He said, “He had boycotted all photographers and magazines at the time. So, when I came home, he said, ‘If you give my pictures to anybody… Because every time I trust you guys, you give it to all these magazines, don’t do all this bulls**t with me.’ It was a simple test for me, to just take the pictures and not give it to anybody. I did such a basic thing, but he helped me so much in my career, because he knew I was an honest person. So, he started shooting with me. Before I knew it, I was a photographer.”

Recalling another anecdote about working with Salman, Avinash said that as a rule, the actor would only shoot within the perimeter of Galaxy Apartments, his residence in Mumbai. But one day, he wanted to step out, and so, they crossed the street and set up on a fisherman’s boat. “So, he started shooting with a gun… He just wanted to see how his body was. He removed his ganji, put it on his head as a headband, went on the boat and did that pose,” Avinash said, mimicking a pose with a gun.

They developed the pictures that evening, when producer Sajid Nadiadwala happened to drop by and see them. He was so impressed with the shots, he decided to use them on billboards for the film Judwaa. But there was one catch, Salman’s look in Judwaa had no resemblance to what they’d shot. Even Salman voiced this concern. But Sajid was undetered. “He said, ‘Climax ka shooting abhi hua nahi hai…‘ So if you see the climax, Salman is in a ganji.” Avinash said that he remembers standing below the hoardings in Juhu and crying.

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