Salman Khan’s father Salim was brought to Bombay by Dilip Kumar’s co-star, was treated like a little brother. How did he go from flop actor to top screenplay writer?

Long before Salman Khan became a Bollywood titan, he was known as the son of an iconic screenplay writer, Salim. One half of the legendary screenplay writer duo Salim-Javed, he was the brain behind many Bollywood blockbusters such as Zanjeer, Deewar, Don, Trishul, Sholay, Shakti, etc. In a new interview, actor Ajit Khan’s son Shahzad spoke about how his father played a role in Salim’s career. In a chat with ANI, Shehzad said that Salim was given a room in their house and was treated like a brother by Ajit.

“My father was the person who brought Uncle Salim to Bombay. Yes, my father brought Uncle Salim to Bombay and kept him in his house, like a little brother,” he said. He added that, before dying, Ajit had implored his son to go to Salim if he faced any problems.

Ajit Khan, whose birth name was Hamid Ali Khan, earned recognition for portraying some of Hindi cinema’s most iconic antagonists, whereas Salim Khan established himself as one of the industry’s most acclaimed screenwriters. Some of Ajit’s most notable films are Mughal-e-Azam and Naya Daur.


Shehzad Khan also reflected on his initial journey in Bollywood, particularly his father’s response to his performances in films like Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak and Andaz Apna Apna. Shehzad, who entered the film industry with Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak in 1988, revealed that Ajit was unexpectedly unimpressed by his humorous performance in Andaz Apna Apna. He recalled that his father believed the comic character had undermined the serious persona he had carefully cultivated over the years.

Shehzad also appeared in the Salman Khan-Amir Khan starrer Andaz Apna Apna as well as the 2000s kids' TV show Shaka Laka Boom Boom.

For almost nine years, Salim pursued an unsuccessful career as an actor. He appeared as credited actor in only 14 films. His most prominent role was in the 1966 film Teesri Manzil, and he often went uncredited. He switched to screenplay writing in 1969, and along with Javed Akhtar, his co-writer, his breakthrough came with the Rajesh Khanna-starrer Haathi Mere Sathi.