‘Main hug nahi karunga’: Salman Khan’s refusal halted Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam shoot, says Sheeba Chaddha

Actor Sheeba Chaddha has spoken about her early days in the film industry, sharing an uncomfortable moment from the set of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s 1999 film Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. In an interview with Siddharth Kannan, she recalled witnessing Salman Khan’s unpredictable behaviour while shooting the film, calling him “temperamental”.

Sheeba described the film as her first major break, but not without its tense moments. She remembered an incident when Salman tripped and fell during the shoot. Instead of brushing it off, he reacted sharply. “Unhone darwaza aise pheka (he slammed the door so hard),” she said, adding that an elderly lightman standing behind the door was slightly hurt. The moment left her shocked. “Baap re, aisa hota hai kya with stars?” she recalled thinking.

But the more surprising moment came during the shoot of an important scene involving Aishwarya Rai, Salman Khan, and Sheeba herself. The scene required Salman to hug Sheeba’s character. However, the actor refused. “He said, ‘Main hug nahi karunga,’” she shared. The refusal reportedly caused a temporary halt in filming, prompting Bhansali to step in and convince Salman to proceed as per the script.

Sheeba didn’t elaborate on how the matter was resolved, but the incident added to ongoing conversations around Salman’s reputed mood swings on film sets over the years. Her account, while calmly shared, offers another insider view into the dynamics on a high-profile set with big stars.

Sheeba is currently seen in the comedy-drama web series Bakaiti, directed by Ameet Guptha, streaming on ZEE5. The story revolves around a middle-class family in Ghaziabad, where Sheeba plays a central role. She’s also part of the upcoming epic Ramayana, directed by Nitesh Tiwari. She plays Manthara in the two-part film, with Part 1 aiming for a Diwali 2026 release and Part 2 in Diwali 2027.