Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam: When Bhansali Scolded Salman

In a new interview, actor Smita Jayakar has returned to the set of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, the 1999 Sanjay Leela Bhansali romance that made Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan one of Hindi cinema’s most talked-about pairs. Her memory of the song “Aankhon Ki Gustakhiyan” centres on a gesture that was never in the choreography — and the scolding it earned Salman.

The touch that broke the blocking

Smita, who played Aishwarya’s mother in the film, told Siddharth Kannan that the sequence required Salman to walk around a table where Aishwarya stood. The plan was clear: he was to stop and look at her. Instead, he reached out and touched her arm.

Bhansali noticed the unscripted movement immediately. As Smita recalled, the director asked Salman why he had touched Aishwarya when the scene called for something simpler. She said the actor’s gesture came from a personal place: “He just felt like touching her. He was in love, so he touched her, but that wasn’t how the scene was supposed to be done.” The exchange left Aishwarya blushing and the crew quietly amused.

A romance the set could not ignore

That moment was not an isolated slip. Smita described the actors as “both in love” during production, adding that their chemistry was visible to everyone around them. “They looked angelic. Aishwarya looked divine at that time,” she said, noting that the real-life magic eventually served the film.

The relationship also tested the crew’s patience. The day began with a 7 am call time, but Smita recalled that Salman and Aishwarya sometimes arrived together around 11 am, seemingly unaware that the unit had been waiting. She found it hard to blame them.

Why the anecdote still matters

For fans, the story adds a new layer to a song that remains a milestone in Bollywood romance. It also shows why Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam endures: the emotion was not manufactured for the camera alone, but it was shaped by Bhansali’s insistence on precision.

• Salman’s touch was spontaneous, not part of the scene’s choreography.
• Bhansali challenged the choice on set and demanded the shot stay as planned.
• Smita says the actors’ visible affection translated into the film’s on-screen chemistry.

For a generation that grew up with the film, “Aankhon Ki Gustakhiyan” already defined on-screen romance. This memory explains why its magic felt authentic: two actors in love, and a director protecting the glance that was always meant to matter.

Source: The Times of India