Salman Khan, known for his larger-than-life roles in Bollywood, made an unexpected departure from his usual action-packed characters when he starred in Revathi's 'Phir Milenge'. Released in 2004, the film tackled the sensitive subject of HIV/AIDS, a rare choice for Salman, whose career has mostly focused on mainstream blockbusters. Recently, producer Shailendra Singh shared that Salman agreed to appear in the film for just one rupee and took on the role when many others in the industry had turned it down.
Phir Milenge producer Shailendra Singh says the actor charged one rupee
Sharing that Salman charged just Rs 1 for the film, Shailendra Singh shared, "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, Terminator, and Superman of India. The lead actor gets HIV and then he dies. The whole industry said no, and that’s when I called Salman Khan. His fans were not happy with the outcome, but the message of the film reached audiences across the country," Singh added.
Revathi also once shared about Salman doing the film
In a previous interview with Rediff, director Revathi also recalled how Salman personally expressed interest in being part of the film. "Shilpa spoke to him about this film, and he called me, saying he wanted to be involved. After 10 minutes, I called him back and asked if he was serious. Did he really want to do this film? And he said yes. He literally did it for free," Revathi told Rediff.
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About Phir Milenge
Phir Milenge featured Shilpa Shetty in the lead role as a woman diagnosed with HIV who faces discrimination and wrongful termination from her job. Abhishek Bachchan played her lawyer, while Salman portrayed her former lover, whose character also contracts HIV. Despite his usual on-screen image of a macho hero, Salman’s character in this film dies at the end.