17 Years of Salaam-E-Ishq EXCLUSIVE: Shannon Esra talks about her experience of doing a Hindi film and shooting a song-and-dance sequence; opens up on meeting Salman Khan: “He had a BEAUTIFUL physique; We were talking about hunting in South Africa and other random stuff” 17 : Bollywood News

The multi-starrer Salaam-E-Ishq (2007) completed 17 years on January 26. Directed by Nikkhil Advani, the romantic drama, consisting of six tracks, didn’t get a favourable response from critics and audiences alike. However, the songs have a strong recall value. Also, the track that stood out was that of Govinda and foreign actress Shannon Esra. It was sweet, funny and had its moments; as a standalone film, it could have worked well with the moviegoers.

17 Years of Salaam-E-Ishq EXCLUSIVE: Shannon Esra talks about her experience of doing a Hindi film and shooting a song-and-dance sequence; opens up on meeting Salman Khan: “He had a BEAUTIFUL physique; We were talking about hunting in South Africa and other random stuff”

As Salaam-E-Ishq celebrated its 17th anniversary, Bollywood Hungama exclusively spoke to Shannon Esra about the film, her memories and a lot more. Currently based in South Africa, where she was also born, the actress began her career with the Kim Basinger-starrer I Dreamed Of Africa (2000). After dabbling in TV and working in a South African film, she bagged Salaam-E-Ishq. After its release, she continued working on several interesting projects, including the acclaimed South African TV series, ‘Lioness’. She’s also a singer and a theatre actor and as mentioned by her in our interview, she’s also set to develop shows.

Bollywood Hungama spoke to the charming actress over a Zoom call and she was more than happy to share her memories and experience. At the very onset, she made it clear that Salaam-E-Ishq holds a special place in her heart. When this writer thanked her for being available for the interview, she flashed her lovely smile and said, “I would have made myself available (for this interview). I have very fond memories of the experience of shooting it.”

What comes to your mind when I mention Salaam-E-Ishq?
I guess the first thing that came to my mind was how exciting it was. I got a call from my agent, who told me ‘I have got this very interesting request. It could be an extraordinary opportunity for you to go to India to do something quite different’. That has always been important in my career - to do different things. I sent my audition tape. 4 days later, I was in India, meeting Vikram Phadnis, going for wardrobe fittings and meeting Salman Khan at his house with one of our ADs, Natascha Charak, who was his cousin. It happened quite quickly.

Did you know who Salman Khan was?
Of course, I did. Bollywood is a very big industry here (in South Africa). So, I knew the big players. But who would think a little actress from South Africa would get cast in this huge Bollywood film? I was 23 years old and it was really extraordinary for me.

Could you tell us about your meeting with Salman Khan?
It was insane. I was in his house and it was pristine with white marble and black-and-white photos of him. He had this beautiful physique. I just sat there with my mouth full of teeth! He was very charming. Natascha had come with me. So, it was the three of us. He kept asking me questions about South Africa. We were talking about hunting and other random stuff. Also, I was tired as it was an insane three-day trip – I had flown down, I had attended Vikram’s fashion show and met Salman Khan.

Was there an audition for Salaam-E-Ishq?
Nikkhil Advani was struggling to cast the part of Stephanie. There was a still photographer by the name of Gene Gualdi, who was working in the Hindi film industry for many years. Gene is a South African and she had to return to her home country to update her visa. Nikkhil suggested that she should try looking for an actor in South Africa who can fit the bill. Gene spoke to H Jordan, a very big radio personality. He suggested she contact his agent (who was also my agent). Gene called my agent who in turn spoke to me. We shot the scene where Stephanie wakes up in the cab and finds herself at the Taj Mahal. 2 days later, I was booked on a flight to go to India.

You had to dye your hair blonde for the role…
Yes, and it was quite a process. As you can see, I have very dark hair. It took us nine hours to colour the hair blonde, as per the requirement. And then I was there for 5 weeks in January 2006. That’s when they shot my travelling story, which was an incredible experience. I got to see places like Delhi, Rishikesh, Rajasthan, Hyderabad and Mumbai. Once I completed the schedule, I had to shoot the remaining portions much later, in August, as there were a lot of scheduling conflicts. That’s when we shot only in the studios in Mumbai. I got a chance to meet Priyanka Chopra when we shot the climax when a lot of stories converge. But during this schedule, I made it clear that I couldn’t dye my hair blonde again because I was contracted to other jobs for which my hair had to be in natural colour. And dying my hair from black to blonde to black and then again blonde is terrible. What it does to your hair…my god (laughs)! Hence, they made me a wig for the final schedule. The wigs they make in India are exceptional.

In a scene in the film, Stephanie has a horrible time eating spicy Indian food. In real life, what was your experience like while trying Indian food dishes?
I do love Indian cuisine. But I am one of those who can’t eat coriander or dhaniya. That was very problematic for me. Otherwise, spicy food is not a problem. During the January schedule, I was eating a lot of boiled chicken and vegetables. Hence, I was dropping a lot of weight. I had to counterbalance it by having dried salted dal. I don’t remember the brand but I was obsessed with it (smiles)! In the scene where I am supposed to eat spicy food, there was no spicy food on my plate actually. The food was quite bland. Nevertheless, it was a fun scene to shoot.

You were lucky to have shot in January when the weather is quite cool and pleasant across the country…
Indeed. When we were shooting in Rishikesh, I was in a tiny, little hotel. I wanted to have a shower after a long, tiring day. Nobody had told me that I had to turn on the geyser for hot water. It was quite cold there and I was crying as I ended up taking a cold shower (laughs)! Later, I was told that I had to switch on the button after which I could receive warm water after an hour. The next day, the bath was fun but that evening, I was very, very sad for myself!

How was it working with Nikkhil Advani? This was his second directorial debut after the blockbuster Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003)…
I knew that he had come off a huge success with his first film. So, there was a lot of pressure on him. He was lovely. He had a lot of stress as filming took almost a year due to actors’ availability, conflicting schedules etc. But I always found him very gracious and kind.

For the song ‘Mera Dil’, you had to shoot in Indian clothes and even dance. How was the experience?
I didn’t even know that I had to dance and lip-sync until two days of principal photography. I was asked to join a week earlier. I had my script. A couple of days before leaving for the shoot, I was asked by someone, ‘Are you ready for your dancing and singing?’. I then got the full script and I told the ADs, ‘I am going to need lyrics, I need it translated. I have to lip-sync this song and on top of it, I also have to dance’! They got me into rehearsals with this very famous choreographers Bosco Caesar, who had just worked with Christina Aguilera. That was a big deal. They showed me my dance steps. I only had one day of rehearsal. After two hours, I locked myself in the bathroom and I was crying. I told myself, ‘I just can’t do it’. This is when Rukhshida told me, ‘Shannon, you are the star. Say no. Tell them what you can do’. I reasoned, ‘That’s not how it works. I have got to realize their vision’. She replied, ‘No, you don’t!’ After 45 minutes of locking myself inside, I went back. They started the rehearsals by saying, ‘Ok, 5-6-7-8’. I told them, ‘No’ (in a crying voice). They asked me, ‘What do you mean?’. I told them, ‘I can’t do this’. They said, ‘OK. What do you want to do?’. I said, ‘Simplify it. We shoot this in 2 days that too on the back of a moving truck in the middle of a desert. I can’t mess this up and hold the unit back’. They then changed the steps. We got it in one take. We added a few bits and it turned out to be fantastic! If I had tried doing the original choreography, I would have made an absolute monkey of myself.

How did you manage to get the Hindi dialogues right?
I got someone to say it for me with the required attitude. I recorded it on a Dictaphone. I also phonetically wrote down the dialogues and I learned them through repetition.

How did you know about the feedback generated by the film?
I didn’t really know how the film did there. I kind of felt that it was a spaceship (somewhere far away from me)! Also, the world was different then. We didn’t have social media. I often get so surprised that people reach out to me from India. It’s wonderful to know that a small group of movie buffs continue to love Stephanie. During the release, I saw the film in South Africa at a screening arranged by the Indian consulate. It was a beautiful experience.

I wished the film had succeeded. I would have loved to see how Raju (Govinda) and Stephanie managed to make their relationship work, despite the language issue…
(Smiles) Yeah, I wonder. But when we don’t have a sequel, it can be in our imagination the way we want it to be. Nothing becomes concrete. Maybe, they lived happily ever after and had children. Or, maybe she realized that he was too old for her and they ended up being friends. Maybe he shifted back to Canada and he ended up falling in love with skiing! It can work out in a million ways and each version would be a happy one (smiles).

How was life after Salaam-E-Ishq?
Life carried on. Nothing changed. I continued to work and I remained committed to growing and being the best artist that I can be. I continue being the best and loving daughter, sister, friend and partner. I am not a mother. I am not someone who wants to start a family. I love my work and it is one of the most important things to me. I am developing two of my own shows. I am lucky to have this career. I did try to make it in Los Angeles where I lived for 6 years. Then, I came back to South Africa. This is where my heart belongs. I want to be at the forefront in creating challenging narratives for women.

Do you have any plans to go back to India and work in another Bollywood film?
If someone sends me a script from India that gets me excited, I’ll take it up in a heartbeat. I don’t think I’d like to go blonde again though! I think we would have to make do with a wig. What I loved about India was that despite the abject poverty, I got a lot of love and I felt very connected.

Do you follow Bollywood and watch films from India?
I’ll be honest. I don’t really follow Bollywood. But there are directors I have taken a keen interest in like Mira Nair. If someone recommends a film, I’d always watch it as I am a complete cinephile.

Are you still in touch with Nikkhil Advani and Govinda?
No, as things were so different in 2007. There was really no way of maintaining contact. It was a different world. Through Instagram, I guess I could reach out and it’ll be lovely to do so.

Your birthday falls on February 1. What are your plans?
I’ll be shooting a commercial at Sun City, which is my favourite place in the world. I can’t get a better birthday present (smiles).