Key Points

While they may not have started off as the "best of friends," the actor opened up about how her equation with the superstar changed over the years, especially after her cancer diagnosis.

The two worked together in the Sooraj Barjatya's 1999 family drama 'Hum Saath-Saath Hain,' a movie that became one of the biggest blockbusters of the year. But behind the scenes, things weren't always smooth between the two actors.

Sonali, during a conversation with ANI, talked about her early experiences with Salman.

"I grew to like Salman later. I mean, it was a process. At the time of Hum Saath Saath Hain, I don't think we were... let me put it mildly. We were not best of friends."

Sonali recalled how Salman's behaviour on set would sometimes get on her nerves. She described him as a prankster who often "made faces" behind the camera during her close-up shots.

"But there are two sides to Salman. You can either love him or you will hate him. And at that point of time, I was not fond of him. When I was doing Hum Saath Saath Hain. I mean, I have had my close-ups that we are doing when he's standing behind the camera and making faces at me. But that was Salman. He's a prankster. He's like a child. But at that point of time, I was most offended that what is this behaviour? And, you know, like, I don't want... I'm not even going to talk to you, this behaviour...," she said.

What truly changed her opinion of Salman was his support during her health battle. In 2018, Sonali was diagnosed with stage four metastatic cancer and underwent treatment in New York. During the difficult time, Salman's actions left a lasting impact on her. Sonali said she was touched by the actor's concern and how he stepped up as a senior from the film industry. She revealed that Salman made multiple trips to New York to check on her and also spoke with her husband, filmmaker Goldie Behl, about her treatment and helped with medical advice.

"And, you know, suddenly, I mean, for the same person who's making faces behind the camera is the same person who has made two trips maybe to New York where I'm there to see if I'm okay in my illness and for the fact that he would call up and check with my husband, and say, are you sure you've got the right doctors? I think you should get in touch with these doctors also," Bendre said.

"Giving, sending the names that, okay, I know you've got her here, but maybe you should talk to these people also. Just being so invested in wanting to know that, is he doing it correctly? You know, where he felt like jo ye hum industry ke log hai this is a fraternity. And he suddenly turned into something like an elder person in the fraternity who was saying, are you sure you've touched all the bases? You've checked all the boxes, you've ticked them all," she added.

"And then once he was convinced that we had done what is the best option at this point, he was calm about it. But to do that just showed how sensitive and caring he is," Bendre further said.

After a long battle with cancer, Sonali became cancer-free in 2021 and has since used her platform to support other cancer survivors and spread awareness.

- ANI