Bollywood superstar Salman Khan’s painful breakup with Aishwarya Rai in 2002 left a lasting impact not only on his personal life but also on his work. A year later, he starred in Satish Kaushik’s 2003 cult classic Tere Naam, where he played a heartbroken lover. According to lyricist Sameer Anjaan, Salman’s real emotions carried over into his performance.
In a recent podcast with Shubhankar Mishra, Sameer recalled how the actor would ask Himesh Reshammiya to sing the film’s title track on set before facing the camera. Listening to the lyrics, especially the line “Kyun kisi ko wafa ke badle wafa nahi milti,” Salman would break into tears, reliving his heartbreak, and only then step in front of the camera. Sameer explained that the song wasn’t written with Salman in mind, but the lyrics reflected his own pain, which made the connection even deeper.
The revelations have once again brought focus to one of Bollywood’s most talked-about relationships. Salman and Aishwarya met on the sets of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam in 1999, and their chemistry soon turned into a real-life romance. However, the relationship ended in 2002.
While Aishwarya later married Abhishek Bachchan in 2007 and is now a mother to Aaradhya, Salman remains single.
Sameer Anjaan, who shared these memories, is among Bollywood’s most prolific lyricists with over 4,000 songs across 500 films.