When Ash met Sallu

It has been more than four years since Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai's stormy love story came to an end and both moved on with their lives. And ever since Salman unleashed his fury on Aishwarya's then beau Vivek Oberoi, both have made a deliberate effort to steer clear of each other.

But the premiere of Ravi Chopra's Baabul at Cinemax, Versova, on Wednesday night saw them come face-to-face with each other again.

Needless to say, it was the Bachchans who played mediator and tried to mitigate the prevalent tension. Salman entered the venue just after Rani Mukherjee did and was seen posing with Amitabh Bachchan, who was standing tall at the main entrance. Then Abhishek walked in and greeted Salman with a hug. After that Salman escorted Abhishek to Screen 3 where the film was being screened.

"Salman offered snacks and a soft drink to Abhishek, and they were seen chatting amicably. Salman wanted to sit with the Bachchans. But it was evident that Abhishek was looking out for someone to arrive all along," our source present at the venue, says.

In a while, Aishwarya entered with her mother Vrinda. She spotted Abhishek instantly, but also saw that he was standing with Salman. That halted her steps.

"Ash looked through Salman and smiled at Abhishek who was standing right beside Salman," says our source.

Almost automatically, Salman and Ash began moving in opposite directions. Aishwarya and her mother walked up the stairs, while Salman walked down.

LOOKING INTO THE FUTURE: Sallu felt completely out of place with AB Jr. being at Ash's side at the premiere of Baabul. (PTI Photo)

The air was rife with tension and people around were anticipating friction. But nothing happened and Salman simply acknowledged Aishwarya's mother with a smile, which Vrinda reciprocated.

Later, Aishwarya went and sat down in the last row, keeping the seat next to her reserved for Abhishek. It was evident that Salman felt completely out of place as Abhishek refused to leave Aishwarya's side.

When Bachchan Sr entered the auditorium with director Ravi Chopra, he asked Salman to join them but the actor politely turned down the offer, knowing well that he would have to sit next to Aishwarya. It was evident that the Bachchans were working towards a truce between Aishwarya and Salman.

In the past, Bachchans have been instrumental in getting Aishwarya back into the Karan Johar, Ramesh Sippy and Yash Chopra camp.

What's more, Salman did not sit but instead chose to watch the film standing at the entrance of the auditorium.

"Salman went to the Red Lounge with Amitabh, Rani and Ravi Chopra for a photo session, and left immediately after that, because he had to catch a flight to Malaysia to attend the Global Indian Film Awards (GIFA)," Girish Wankhede of Cinemax, says.

Incidentally, John Abraham entered the venue just as Salman was about to leave. He saw the latter half of the film with the Bachchans.