‘When I met him on the Bigg Boss set, he greeted me in the same way that he would during Dabangg, “Aur Chedi Singh, kaise ho?”‘
Whenever you think of Dabangg and Chulbul Pandey, a name that immediately comes to mind is Sonu Sood.
The actor played the antagonist Chedi Singh in the first film of the franchise.
As Salman turns 60 on December 27, Sonu looks back his association with the superstar and tells Rediff Senior Contributor Roshmila Bhattacharya, “As an actor, he is focused, dedicated and always rehearses his lines properly. As a person, he is warm and humble, a fantastic host who wants everyone to sit with him during lunchtime and takes good care of them.”
‘That was a line I had written and Salman smiled when he heard it’
I remember meeting Salman in his office for the first time when Dabangg was offered to me.
I wasn’t sure of the role then and had initially declined the offer.
But I had a few ideas which I played out to him when we met.
For instance, there was that scene where Chedi Singh — the character I play — tells Salman’s Chulbul Pandey, ‘Bachcpan se hum aapke pyaar ko hero samajhte aaye hai, aur tum mujhe villain bolte ho (Since my childhood, I’ve looked up to you as a hero, and you are calling me a villain)’
That was a line I had written and Salman smiled when he heard it.
But he wasn’t convinced if he wanted Chedi to be played the way I wanted.
He was particularly unsure about the comic slant I had given the character.
‘But I want you in the film, so let’s make it happen,’ he asserted.
‘Bhaiyaji, smile’
I eventually convinced both Abhinav (Kashyap, writer-director) and Salman to retain the humour.
I reasoned that it set Chedi apart from the regular villain and assured Salman that he would love it.
‘Bhaiyajismile,’ the cult dialogue from Dabangg was also my brainwave and it grew out of personal experience.
When I was studying engineering in Nagpur, I would hang out with half-a-dozen fellow students from Bihar, three of whom were my roommates.
They were a bunch of hot-headed guys, always ready for a fight, but they also had a ready smile for the camera.
I copied their Bihari dialect and aggressive body language, also suggesting that a photographer follow Chedi around to document his exploits.
Every now and then, he would train his lens on him with that now-famous one-liner, ‘Bhaiyaji, smile.’
That dialogue has followed me for the last 15 years.
As I had promised him, Salman loved my performance.
When we saw the film together for the first time at a preview theatre in Film City, he put his hand on my shoulder and said, ‘You were right, the comic angle really works, good job!’
‘”They are fabulous,” he applauded’
My first day of shoot with him was for Munni Badnaam Hui.
Farah Khan was choreographing the song, but I was allowed to do my own thing.
Once again, I followed my college buddies, and despite being out of step, and just being Chedi, I impressed not just Farah, but everyone around.
When we were filming in Wai, a town in Maharashtra, Salman was on the set even though it was my scene and he wasn’t required.
He later confided that he had seen some shots that we had canned without him.
‘They are fabulous,’ he applauded, adding, ‘It’s going to be crazy!’
‘While shooting the climax of Dabangg, a fighter broke my nose’
While we were shooting the climax of Dabangg, a fighter mistimed his shot and broke my nose.
I was rushed to hospital where I got my nose fixed temporarily and returned to the set.
Salman was very upset by what had happened, but also impressed to see me continue shooting despite the pain and not letting the unit suffer.
As an actor, he is focused, dedicated and always rehearses his lines properly.
As a person, he is warm and humble, a fantastic host who wants everyone to sit with him during lunchtime and takes good care of them.
Even his family is very warm, and whenever I have visited his home, I have noticed how they take care of everyone and ensure that they have eaten.
‘I was supposed to return as Chedi’s twin in Dabangg 2 but..’
Dabangg was a blockbuster and we had expected the journey to continue.
I was supposed to return as Chedi’s twin in Dabangg 2, but I was not convinced with the script.
I didn’t think it was the right role to carry the legacy of Chedi forward.
I shared this with both Salman and Arbaaz bhai (Arbaaz Khan, who directed Dabangg 2) and stayed away from the sequel.
But even today, Salman and I share the same cordial relationship.
When I met him on the Bigg Boss set, he greeted me in the same way that he would during Dabangg, ‘Aur Chedi Singh, kaise ho?’
He loved the performance!
And he loves my philanthropic side.
Whenever we speak, he says, ‘Chal raha hain na tera charity ka kaam? (is your charity work going on well?). Keep it going, people love you a lot for it.’
Salman loves kids.
My younger son’s birthday was celebrated on the Dabangg set with Ayaan cutting a cake.
Salman is a true gentleman, one of the nicest souls I have come across, and on his birthday, I wish him the very best.
But I don’t see him as 60. For me, Salman Khan is still 30.
Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff
