‘Salman Khan felt like a monkey in a zoo’: Chetan Bhagat recalls superstar's reaction to fans desperate for pics

Author Chetan Bhagat recently recalled his first meeting with Salman Khan, describing the actor’s unique aura. In an interview with Lallantop, Chetan also shared Salman's reaction to being mobbed by fans desperate for a picture, saying that his words are something he'll never forget. (Also Read: Salman Khan addresses claims of coming late on set, lacking seriousness: ‘It scares people away from working with me’)

Chetan shared that this encounter took place during the making of Hello, an adaptation of his novel One Night @ the Call Center, directed by Atul Agnihotri—who is married to Salman’s sister, Alvira. He described receiving an invitation to Galaxy Apartments, Salman’s residence, as “visiting a galaxy.”

Chetan recalls first meeting with Salman

Praising Salman and recalling his first experience visiting Galaxy Apartments, Chetan Bhagat said, "Salman has a sixth sense. He decides whether he likes a person or not by figuring out how genuine they are—someone who doesn’t want anything from him. If he likes you, he’ll just say, ‘Yeh kya body hai, kal se tu aaraha hai mere saath workout karne’ (What a body you have! From tomorrow, you’re coming to work out with me).”

Chetan on how Salman feels when fans get desparate for a pic with him

Although their initial interaction was limited, Bhagat’s deeper interaction with Salman happened when he worked as a screenplay writer for Kick. He went on to recall a line from Salman that he would never forget: "I remember, while promoting Hello, I did an interview with him and asked him how it feels to have crowds following him everywhere, desperate for photographs with him. He said, ‘Mujhe aisa lagta hai jaise chidiya ghar mein bandar hota hai’ (I feel like a monkey in a zoo), but then he added, ‘Kabhi kabhi irritate karta hai, par jis din yeh chala gaya, sab chala gaya’ (It feels irritating sometimes, but I know the day this goes, everything goes). I’ve never forgotten this line. It happens to me on a much smaller scale, but when I’m irritated at the airport, I remember Salman’s line, ‘Jis din yeh chala gaya, sab chala gaya’ (The day this goes, everything goes).

About Hello

The 2008 film, directed by Atul Agnihotri, featured Sharman Joshi, Sohail Khan, Gul Panag, Isha Koppikar, Amrita Arora, and Sharat Saxena in lead roles, with Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif making cameo appearances.

Salman is currently seen in Sikandar, which released on March 30. The actor will be next seen in the movie Kick 2, produced by Sajid Nadiadwala. He also has an action-thriller with Sajay Dutt in the pipeline.