Salman Khanand Aishwarya Rai broke up 11 years ago, and today she is the bahurani of the Bachchan parivar, happily married with a baby girl. But from Salman's point of view, she was "the only one".
It shows up in his offscreen and onscreen photos: He looks most peaceful with Ash, with none of the brash, bluster and noise that you associate with him otherwise. That's what true love does to you: it creates blissful peace for you, even as it creates sleepless nights and agonising moments.
Maybe it was not meant to be. The couple met on the sets of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam(poster above) in 1999 and their passionate affair lasted till 2001. Because he cheated on her, as he himself admitted to her, but couldn't accept her walking out on him for that reason. As is now famous, he turned up at one of her shootings, and pushed her to the floor. He raised his hand on her on another occasion. Yeah, when a woman refuses to be yours, what else can a man do? Agreed, she has a right to decide her life as well.
Months later, Aishwarya complained in a media interview that Salman Khan had not been able to come to terms with their break-up and was hounding her even though they parted ways long ago. "Though my family opposed the relationship, I stood by him, only to be let down time and again," she said. "After we broke up, he would call me and talk rubbish. He also suspected me of having affairs with my co-stars. I was linked up with everyone, from Abhishek Bachchan to Shah Rukh Khan. There were times when Salman got physical with me, luckily without leaving any marks. And I would go to work as if nothing had happened." Emotional issues coupled with drink only made things worse. There were many public scenes.
Ash also reached out to God: "It's sad that I'm being projected as unprofessional and calculating. Filmmakers who have signed me know that the only healing factor in my life is my work. This is a male-dominated industry and I guess it has been difficult for many to digest a woman holding her own with dignity. Nevertheless, there's somebody up there who's with me," she said.
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