For actor and producer Saqib Saleem, working alongside industry heavyweights like Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol, Remo D’Souza and Jacqueline Fernandez on the sets of Race 3 could easily have felt overwhelming. Instead, it turned into one of the warmest chapters of his career, largely thanks to Khan.
A host who makes you feel seen
Saleem, who recently produced the newly released film Baby Do Die Do starring his sister Huma Qureshi, recalled Khan’s presence on set as constant and generous. In an exclusive conversation with Variety India, he said, “It was a party every day. Like, bhai is a great host. He makes you feel seen, yaar.”
A birthday plan interrupted by real life
The story Saleem shared traced back to April 2018, during the final days of the Race 3 shoot. He recalled, “We were shooting for Race on April 2. It was our last day and my birthday was April 8. I told bhai, ‘Bhai, it’s my birthday on April 8’.” He recalled wondering how to word the invitation, unsure how Khan would respond. “He just looked at me and said, ‘Of course I’ll come.’”
Two days later, Khan’s ongoing legal troubles culminated in a sudden jail sentence in Jodhpur, throwing his schedule and the industry into a frenzy. Recognising the gravity of the situation, Saleem called off his celebrations. Khan was granted bail and released just a day before Saleem’s birthday.
A quiet return, an emotional reunion
Saleem recalled watching Khan’s release live on television, saying, “He came back from jail on April 7, and we were watching it live on television. They said he had left the airport and he’s on his way home. So Bobby sir called me and said, ‘Listen, we’ll go. Say hi. He’s come. We’ll go.’ And I’ve forgotten that my birthday party, whatever.”
Saleem joined the gathering of well-wishers at Khan’s Galaxy Apartments, planning to slip away quietly later to meet a few friends who had come to his own house to wish him.
Three cakes and a gift at midnight
When Saleem tried to leave, Khan insisted he stay. He said, “It was 11 pm, and I decided to sneak out quietly. So I went to him and told him, ‘Bhai, I will see you. I have to go somewhere.’ He said, ‘Wait a minute. Where are you going? Will you eat anything?’ I kept saying no, but he kept asking me to wait for 10 minutes.”
What followed left Saleem stunned. He said, “At 12 o’clock, there were three cakes and a birthday gift for me. And I just kept looking at him. I remember thinking, ‘You are going through so much in your personal life, but you remembered.’ I’m sure somebody else ordered that cake and somebody else got that gift. But he thought about it. That day I realised, this man is just pure gold. The way he thinks about you, it’s lovely.”
Saleem said the midnight gesture laid the foundation for a friendship that has stayed with him as he continues to build his career, now also as a producer alongside Qureshi. “Since then, it’s one of my nicest friendships or other relationships I have with senior people in the business. It’s one of them,” he said.
Saleem’s recollection offers a glimpse into a lesser-seen side of Khan, highlighting a gesture of kindness that left a lasting impression years after the Race 3 shoot wrapped.
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