New Delhi: On Friday, Sooraj Pancholi was acquitted in his girlfriend and actor Jiah Khan's death case. The actor was detained in June 2013 on suspicion of abetting the 'Ghajini' actor's suicide. On April 28, a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court judge named AS Sayyed announced the decision and found no evidence against Sooraj, clearing him of all charges. Actress Zarina Wahab, Sooraj's mother, joined him for the court appearance. He revealed that the first person he messaged after leaving the court was Salman Khan. The actor had mentioned how Salman has been there for him for the last ten years.
Hero (2015), a film by Nikkhil Advani, marked the screen debuts of Sooraj and Athiya Shetty. Salman and director Subhash Ghai collaborated on the production of the movie. The film, which was a remake, starred Jackie Shroff and Meenakshi Sheshadri in Subhash Ghai's musical smash hit from 1983. The movie also featured Sooraj's father, actor Aditya Pancholi.
During an interview with Bombay Times, Sooraj revealed, "Salman Khan is not a friend of my father or mother. Of course, they know each other as they all work in the same industry. I was an AD on Ek Tha Tiger and he had told me that he will produce my first film. I was accused in 2013 two years before that film (Hero) came out, and he still produced that film and stood by me.”
The actor continued, "He has done more than anyone else for me, but I know my limits and I won’t exploit that bond. I have met him a hundred times, but never for work. He was the first person I messaged as soon as I left the court. He had told me, ‘Sooraj, if you know in your heart that you haven’t done anything wrong, you have nothing to worry about."
Guzaarish (2010) and Ek Tha Tiger (2012) were Sooraj's first two films as an assistant director. In the flicks Satellite Shankar (2019) and Time to Dance (2020), he made subsequent appearances after Hero. Although no release date has been announced as of yet, he is slated to play the lead in the biopic on the legendary boxer Hawa Singh.