Mumbai, Sep 18: Actor and model Muzammil Ibrahim has spoken about his admiration for Bollywood superstar Salman Khan and recalled how he kept a fast for him for three days.

Recalling his childhood obsession with Salman, Muzammil says, “I was a mad Salman Khan fan growing up. A lot of my childhood memories are somehow connected to trying to look and behave like Salman Khan.”

“My hair would literally come down to my eyebrows. I didn’t know that Salman sir was going through a receding hairline at the time, but he had this very distinctive, V-shaped forehead. Because he was so good looking, all of us wanted to look like him,” he recalled in the statement.

The obsession went so far that Muzammil and his friends would visit their barber and ask him to recreate Salman’s V-shaped hairline with a razor.

“It looked absolutely terrible, of course, and our hair would grow back very quickly,” he laughed.

Muzammil took his fandom a step further.

“I started tying bandanas so tightly around my forehead at night to get that look that I would wake up in the morning feeling dizzy!” he said.

“Even today, I have a full head of hair on one side and a slightly receding hairline on the right. So I like to joke that I managed to achieve the Salman Khan look—but only on one side!”

Muzammil credits the “Dabangg” star for inspiring him to start working out.

“I started going to the gym because of Salman Khan, 100 per cent,” he said.

He vividly remembers watching Salman in O Jaane Jaana and being fascinated by his physique.

“I remember watching him bend forward, with his lats popping out. I had no idea what lats were. I ran to my mother and said, ‘Mama, mama, Salman Khan has discovered a new muscle!’”

As a child, Muzzambil says, he and his friends would exaggerate everything Salman did.

“In our minds, Salman Khan wasn’t just a hero—he was this idol, the epitome of male beauty.”

His admiration became even more emotional during the difficult legal phase Salman went through.

“When he was going through those difficult legal cases, my friends and I genuinely didn’t know what we could do for him. We saw how disturbed he looked in the news, and the only thing we could think of was to pray for him,” he says.

Muzzammil and his best friend went as far as keeping a three-day fast for the actor.

“It sounds extreme now, but that’s how deeply we believed in him as kids. We wanted to do something, anything, that might somehow help him.”

When Muzzammil finally got an opportunity to meet Salman, he recalled it was at a club. He immediately shared one of his most personal childhood memories with the superstar.

“I walked up to him and said, ‘Salman sir, I used to fast for you. Me and my best friend.’”

Salman’s response left Muzzammil amused and impressed.

“He laughed and said, ‘Dua karo ke phir se na rakhna pade.’ I was completely taken aback by his response. I thought, ‘This man is something else.’”

“He has always had this incredibly nonchalant quality. He doesn’t seem to take life too seriously, and he has always seemed determined to live it on his own terms and enjoy it to the fullest.”

Mumbai, Sep 16: Television actress Mahhi Vij revealed that she was originally selected by filmmaker Mani Ratnam for the role that Kareena Kapoor eventually played in the 2004 film Yuva, opposite Vivek Oberoi.

During a conversation with fellow Bigg Boss 20 contestant Kanika Mann, Mahhi opened up about her early days in the entertainment industry and recalled how she moved from music videos and South Indian films to what could have been her Bollywood debut.

Mahhi said that after arriving in Mumbai, she got her first music-video opportunity with the popular remix of “Tu Tu Hai Wahi”, in which she featured in a pink outfit.

“I went to Bombay and got a music video as soon as I arrived. It was the one where I wore the pink dress, ‘Tu Tu Hai Wahi’. That was my first music video,” she recalled.

“After that, I did a lot of music videos in my career, and all of them were hits,” Mahhi said.

Mahhi then also spoke about her transition towards films, saying she worked in South Indian cinema, including projects with Prabhu Deva and Malayalam superstar Mammootty.

“Then I did music videos, followed by South Indian films with Prabhu Deva. Then I did a film with Mammootty. From there, I was finalised for Yuva. Mani Ratnam selected me for Yuva,” she said.

According to Mahhi, she had been selected for the role of Meera, the character that Kareena Kapoor eventually portrayed in Yuva. In the film, Meera is the love interest of Vivek Oberoi’s character Arjun Balachandran.

The 2004 film was directed by Mani Ratnam and starred Ajay Devgn, Abhishek Bachchan, Vivek Oberoi, Rani Mukerji, Kareena Kapoor and Esha Deol.

Mahhi said that the opportunity eventually slipped away after her equation with someone involved in the project turned sour.

“For the role that Kareena played, opposite Vivek Oberoi. But some equations with someone had gone a little sour there so it did not materialise,” she added.

Mahhi further recalled that after returning to Delhi, she had discussions for two or three other films, but those projects too were cancelled at the last minute.

“After that, I returned to Delhi. Two or three films were discussed, but they were cancelled at the last minute. So I said, ‘I will do television,’” she recalled.

Her decision eventually led her towards a successful television career. Mahhi became widely recognised for her role as Nakusha in Laagi Tujhse Lagan and later played Nandini in Balika Vadhu.

She also participated in reality shows including Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, Khatron Ke Khiladi and Nach Baliye 5, which she won with Jay Bhanushali.

Meanwhile, Yuva, which released in 2004, also starred Ajay Devgn, Rani Mukerji, Abhishek Bachchan and Esha Deol, with music by A.R. Rahman.

Mumbai, Sep 15: Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has once again left fans intrigued with a cryptic social media post on happiness, expectations and contentment, shortly after making an appearance at Rahul Karnail’s Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations.

Salman shared a reel on his social media account, featuring a scenic mountain backdrop and a thought-provoking message about how a person’s perception of happiness can change once they get what they once desired.

The message read, “Jab thoda mila, toh khush tha, ab zyada mila, toh dukhi kyun? Jo chahiye tha kal mujhe, aaj mila toh zaroori kyun?”

(When I had a little, I was happy, so why am I sad now that I have more? What I wanted yesterday, why does it seem unnecessary now that I have it today?)

Somehow Salman did not reveal what prompted him to share the message.

The cryptic note came soon after Salman attended Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations. Salman was spotted arriving for the festivities and posing for the paparazzi before joining his family for the celebrations.

For the occasion, Salman opted for a casual festive look. He wore a light blue checked/striped shirt with light blue-white denim, while a bandana covered his head.

Videos and pictures from the celebrations showed the Khan family coming together for Ganpati darshan. Salman was also seen spending time with little children at the gathering.

For the uninitiated, Salman has regularly participated in Ganpati celebrations, including aarti and visarjan, over the years.

His family continues the tradition at home where Salman’s entire family celebrates the occasion.

The Khan family’s celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi has its roots in their close family tradition. Salma Khan, Salman’s mother, was born Sushila Charak in a Maharashtrian Hindu family, while his father Salim Khan is Muslim.

The family has over the years been known for celebrating festivals across religious traditions.