When Bhumika Chawla called Salman Khan ‘Salman bhai’

MUMBAI: Actress Bhumika Chawla, who won the audiences over with her portrayal of Nirjara in 'Tere Naam' opposite Salman Khan, has reunited with the Bollywood star after almost 2 decades since their last film together. The two will be seen in 'Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan' which is set to arrive in cinemas on April 21.

The actress, who did her first Hindi film with Salman, is "very happy to reunite with him after 20 years." She mentioned: "The fans of 'Tere Naam' often ask when will Radhe and Nirjara come together. While 'Tere Naam 2' may take time, they can see me and Salman together in 'Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan'."

Walking down the memory lane, she shared an incident when she addressed the superstar as "Salman bhai" publicly. She said: "When we went to the audio launch of 'Tere Naam', I called him 'Salman bhai' on stage. I was later told I can't say because I was paired opposite him. The whole nation reveres him by this name so, initially I also called him Salman bhai and he used to tell me, 'You can call me Salman'. Even during the making of this film, till the time 70 per cent of the shoot was done, I used to address him as Salman sir. He again said, 'You can call me just Salman'."

The actress also spoke about late Satish Kaushik, the director of 'Tere Naam'. She shared: "His passing away came as a shock to the whole industry or the whole country. Few days before his demise, I saw many social media posts of him where he mentioned that he has started working out a lot. He was on his way to a fitter lifestyle, and when something of this sort happens, it makes you realise that life is just a bubble."

Speaking about a scene from 'Tere Naam' where her character was held hostage by Salman's character of Radhe, Bhumika said: "We were losing the light during that scene as it was being shot after the golden hour. Industry people would know how crucial natural light is when you're shooting outdoors, and once you start losing the light that's when stress starts building up on the sets."

"I was really nervous as the stakes were high and we had to wrap up the scene before darkness set in. I started fumbling and couldn't deliver my lines. That's when Salman walked upto Satish ji and told him, 'Let her take time as it's new for her. The more stress we put on her, the more it will turn out to be worse for the scene. That gave me a huge boost of confidence and I delivered my lines perfectly," she concluded.