“Time Par…”: Aamir Khan Says He Didn’t Like Salman Khan During ‘Andaz Apna Apna’ Shoot
Aamir Khan and Salman Khan opened up about their rocky ‘Andaz Apna Apna’ days and evolving friendship.
Bollywood superstars Aamir Khan and Salman Khan continue to be inseparably linked with their cult comedy ‘Andaz Apna Apna’. Directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, the 1994 film had a lukewarm reception at the box office but went on to achieve iconic status over the years. Decades later, fans still fondly remember Aamir and Salman’s comic timing as Amar and Prem. Recently, during an appearance on Kajol and Twinkle Khanna’s talk show ‘Two Much’, the duo opened up about how their friendship evolved – from an uneasy start on the film’s sets to a close bond in later years.
Aamir Khan candidly admitted he wasn’t Salman Khan’s biggest fan back then. “I didn’t like him a lot because I used to feel that ye time par nahi aata; it was quite a problem,” Aamir shared.
“He used to come on set, and we would be very happy that he had at least shown up at 12 pm. First he used to come and sleep and then have lunch. Half the day was already gone by then, so I and Raj used to break down the scenes for him once he was up. Even then he used to sit there looking distracted, and he used to treat me like an assistant,” the superstar added.
Salman countered with his side of the story, pointing out that he was juggling nearly 15 films at once.
“When we were working on Andaz Apna Apna, Mr Aamir Khan used to land up on set at 7 am in the morning for a shift that started at 9 am. Because he had one film, and I had 15 films. I used to work 7 am to 2 pm, then 2 pm to 10 pm and then again 10 pm to 5 am. So by the time I used to come, I’d be exhausted, and then he used to do so many rehearsals. I used to tell people to only call me when he was finally ready. So at that point in time, he thought I was not interested in my work,” Salman shared.
Aamir laughed at the memory, admitting he was “too harsh” and “judgemental” in those days. He said he eventually realised that “we are all human beings” and that the two also shared some great moments while filming. Their friendship, however, truly solidified years later during Aamir’s divorce from his first wife, Reena Dutta.
The Bollywood star recalled his divorce from his first wife, Reena Dutta, and said, “This friendship happened when I went through my divorce with Reena. He had come over for dinner, and that is when Salman and I actually, for the first time, connected properly. Junaid has played in Salman’s lap, and I remember that we were doing some shows, and Junaid must have been three months old. During all that time, Junaid was with Salman, and he was very fond of him.”
He also reflected on his divorces from both Reena and Kiran Rao, saying that while he still has love in his life at 60, he wouldn’t wish such painful breakups on anyone.
“People haven’t been through the kind of traumatic breakup that I have. I was very close to both my wives, and I practically grew up with Reena. When something like this doesn’t work, it hits, and it took me 4 years to recover from my divorce with Reena. But I am lucky that both of them are wonderful women, and they are still my family,” Aamir said.
Twinkle teased him by pointing out that Aamir sounds like a “sheikh” who has been married multiple times because of the way he says the word wives.
Aamir Khan further mused about relationships, saying he believes marriage is “just signing some papers” and that real bonds can exist outside that contract. He revealed he is now committed to Gauri Spratt and reflected on fatherhood with some regret.
“Still getting married to Reena and then seeing Junaid come into this world was magical for me, and even though I did what I could, I still feel like I should have been there for my kids more, because if you ask me about the little idiosyncrasies or insecurities that my kids have, I wouldn’t know,” he shared.
