Not Salman Khan breakup, but a 'betrayal' after split hurt Aishwarya Rai more, says filmmaker Prahlad Kakkar

Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai were once one of the most talked-about couples in Bollywood. Their very public breakup in 2002 hit headlines across the country, especially since the split was followed by rumours of the superstar subjecting her to physical and mental abuse.

In a chat with Vickey Lalwani, ad filmmaker Prahlad Kakkar stated that Aishwarya found a breakup to be a “huge relief.” However, she also felt abandoned by the industry. “That was her greatest hurt.”

“She wasn’t upset about the breakup but about the fact that everybody took Salman’s side and not hers,” he said. “She didn’t trust the industry; they weren’t playing fair,” he said.


He also claimed that the ‘Dabangg’ star was “very physical and obsessive” with her, and as he lived in the same building, he could often hear him come at midnight, screaming at her and “banging his head on the wall.”

In a chat with Simi Garewal, Aishwarya revealed that she was unceremoniously dropped from at least five films, two of which were Shah Rukh Khan-starrers, ‘Veer Zaara’ and ‘Chalte Chalte.’

“Yes, at that time, there was talk about a couple of films we were supposed to be doing together, and then, suddenly, they weren’t happening, with no explanation. Never had the answer to why.”

Aishwarya admitted that she was “taken aback and confused” when she was dropped from the films. In Kaveri Bamzai’s book Three Khans, it is mentioned that Salman Khan caused a major disruption during the filming of Chalte Chalte, bringing the shoot to a halt.

Today, Aishwarya is married to Abhishek Bachchan, and together, they have a daughter, Aaradhya.

On the work front, Aishwarya’s most recent appearance was in Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan II, a grand historical drama that brought together a stellar ensemble including Vikram, Ravi Mohan, Trisha, Jayaram, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Sobhita Dhulipala, and Sarath Kumar, among several others.

Meanwhile, Salman Khan is busy working on his upcoming project Battle of Galwan, helmed by Apoorva Lakhia. The film draws its inspiration from the 2020 Galwan Valley clash between Indian and Chinese troops. Before this, Salman was seen in Sikandar, which hit theatres in March under the direction of AR Murugadoss.