When Salman Khan removed a thorn from Aishwarya Rai’s foot on Devdas’ set and Bhansali let it stay on-screen

When Salman Khan removed a thorn from Aishwarya Rai’s foot on Devdas’ set and Bhansali let it stay on-screen

• Devdas re-releases on January 6, reviving its haunting behind-the-scenes stories
• Salman Khan's real-life heartbreak influenced a key scene with Aishwarya Rai
• Devdas became 2002's biggest hit, winning 11 Filmfare and 5 National Film Awards

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As Devdas gears up for its theatrical re-release on February 6, one of the film’s most haunting behind-the-scenes stories has resurfaced, a moment where real life quietly slipped into cinema, and Sanjay Leela Bhansali chose not to look away.

Twenty-three years ago July, Bhansali unveiled Devdas, a lavish, emotionally overwhelming spectacle that redefined the scale of Hindi cinema. It was the most expensive Hindi film of its time, a risky, almost defiant bet in an era unsure whether millennial audiences would embrace a tragic, pre-Independence love story soaked in longing and self-destruction. The story had been adapted before, but this was no routine remake. Bhansali was standing in the shadow of Bimal Roy’s 1955 classic and Dilip Kumar’s immortal Devdas, daring to believe that heartbreak could still feel new.

What unfolded behind the camera, however, was just as dramatic as what played out on screen.

On the sets of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Bhansali’s previous film, a volatile romance had ignited between Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai. It became one of Bollywood’s most closely watched relationships, intense, passionate, and deeply troubled. By the time Devdas went on floors, the relationship had reached a breaking point.

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In her book King of Bollywood, Anupama Chopra writes, “Salman had become a real-life Devdas, simultaneously self-destructing and attempting to salvage his romance. He was as much a part of the Devdas shoot as the crew… Salman Khan would spend nights lying intoxicated on the floor of Aishwarya’s trailer.”

Salman’s constant presence on set led to an extraordinary, unplanned moment that would end up immortalised on film. During the shoot of a tender scene in which Paro gets a thorn lodged in her foot and Devdas gently removes it, Salman reportedly stepped in to demonstrate how the action should be performed.

Anupama Chopra recounts, “Salman was on the set, and he volunteered to demonstrate how this should be done. SRK agreed, and as Salman performed the action, Sanjay rolled the cameras. It was a poignant moment: a spent, tragic lover enacting his own life for the film. Aishwarya cried. It was the last time the two were captured on film together.”

The close-up of Salman’s hands made it to the final cut, quietly transforming the scene. For those who know the story behind it, the moment carries an ache that feels painfully real, as if cinema briefly stopped acting.

When Devdas finally released on July 12, 2002, it silenced doubts. It became the biggest hit of the year, winning 11 Filmfare Awards and five National Film Awards.