Salman Khan's No Entry co star Celina Jaitly talks about actors protective behavior during shooting: he was a lot of fun and very protective...

Salman Khan in No Entry

Almost twenty years on, No Entry still holds a special place in the hearts of fans old and new. Celina Jaitly, who played Sanjana Saxena in the film, recently shared some behind-the-scenes stories, her connections with the cast, and her thoughts on the upcoming sequel.

Interestingly, Celina revealed she was originally offered a different role — Bobby, which Bipasha Basu eventually played.

She told SCREEN, “Initially, I was offered Bipasha’s role. That role too was a strong and memorable part of the film, and I truly loved the way her character shaped up eventually. It even ended up with some wonderful solo songs, which of course every actor loves to have. But my decision to choose Sanjana was purely an artistic one," she explained. It shows how personal choices shape careers in surprising ways.

Her first day on set remains vivid in her memory. “We were shooting in South Africa, inside a stunning villa by the ocean in Cape Town. My first scene was the now famous living room sequence where Anil Kapoor’s character thinks he is speaking to his wife, but then it turns out to be me and in shock, he faints."

She recalled feeling overwhelmed but instantly put at ease by Anil Kapoor’s warmth. “It was overwhelming for me because I was a newcomer stepping into a scene with one of the greatest actors of Indian cinema. At one point, he asked if my long hair was real. When I assured him that it was, he laughed and told me how glad he was that I had kept it long and healthy without cutting it. That small exchange broke the ice completely."

Talking about Salman Khan, Celina described a different kind of energy on set. “Salman brought a very different energy altogether. He was incredibly busy at the time, often juggling two other films alongside No Entry in Mauritius itself, yet he was a lot of fun and very protective about the girls, which was always reassuring."

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She also praised Anil Kapoor’s enthusiasm and professionalism, calling watching him work a “masterclass in itself.” And her ease with Fardeen Khan came from their previous work together, making the experience all the more enjoyable.

When it comes to No Entry 2, Celina hasn’t been approached yet but feels proud of the legacy of the original film. “It became a mega blockbuster that continues to live in people’s hearts. Perhaps in today’s climate, with the tendency to scrutinize every subject, No Entry might have been received differently. But the innocence and purity of Aneesji’s vision made it timeless, and that is why people still embrace it with so much love," she said.