Salman Khan took on a unique project in 2004 when he agreed to appear in Phir Milenge, a film dealing with HIV awareness. In a recent social media post, producer Shailendra Singh revealed that Salman agreed to do the role for just one rupee and that he was the only actor willing to portray an HIV-positive character after others in the industry turned it down.
Though Salman Khan has a career spanning over three decades, mostly filled with blockbuster mainstream films, his appearance in Phir Milenge is remembered as a surprising departure from his usual roles. Directed by Revathi, Phir Milenge focused on a sensitive subject that many Bollywood actors were reluctant to touch at the time. Salman Khan Took on the Role When Others Said No According to producer Shailendra Singh, getting an actor of Salman Khan’s stature to play a man who contracts HIV and eventually dies was no easy task. “At that time, and even now, Salman is one of the biggest youth icons. So, imagine convincing Salman to do a film on AIDS when he is actually the Rambo, the Terminator, and the Superman of India. The plot line for the lead actor is that he gets HIV and then he dies. The whole industry said no, and that’s the day I called Salman Khan,” Singh said.
Singh stated that Salman's decision to accept the role carried a powerful message about the actor's commitment to the cause. Despite his on-screen image of macho hero, Salman agreed to portray a character suffering from the disease at a time when there was still significant stigma surrounding HIV and AIDS. A Message That Reached the Nation Although Salman Khan’s fans were not pleased to see their hero die on screen, Singh believes that the film successfully spread its message. “Salman dies in the climax due to HIV. Obviously, his fans were not happy, but the message of the film got across the nation,” Singh added.
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For the unversed, in the film, Shilpa Shetty played the lead character, who is diagnosed with HIV and faces discrimination after being fired from her job. Salman Khan played her former lover who also contracts the virus, while Abhishek Bachchan appeared as her lawyer.
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