Sanjay Leela Bhansali's film Devdas was released in 2002 and still holds a special place in the hearts of audiences. The brilliant performances of Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, and Madhuri Dixit made this film memorable. The pairing of Shah Rukh and Aishwarya, in particular, was greatly loved by the audience.
The film Devdas’ song Morey Piya is still considered one of the most beautiful and romantic songs. The chemistry between Shah Rukh and Aishwarya in this song mesmerized people. But very few people know that a very important and iconic shot of this song was actually shot not by Shah Rukh, but by Salman Khan.
Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai met during the filming of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. After this film, their love story began, but their relationship was quite turbulent. By the time Devdas was being filmed, they had broken up, and their relationship had become bitter.
Despite this, Salman Khan, who was a close friend of Sanjay Leela Bhansali, often visited the sets of Devdas. Renowned film critic Anupama Chopra has narrated an interesting story in her book King of Bollywood: Shah Rukh Khan and the Seductive World of Indian Cinema, which took place during the shooting of the song Morey Piya.
According to Anupama Chopra, Salman Khan was present on the set the day a scene from Morey Piya was being shot. In that scene, Devdas had to remove a thorn from Paro's foot. It was a very delicate and romantic scene, in which the faces were not visible, only a close-up of the hands and feet.
Shah Rukh and Aishwarya were preparing for this scene when Salman Khan stepped forward and started explaining to Shah Rukh how to perform the scene. During that time, Sanjay Leela Bhansali kept the camera rolling. Salman removed a thorn from Aishwarya's foot, and that shot was recorded on camera.
Because it was a close-up shot and their faces were not visible, this scene was included in the film's final cut. Thus, for a few seconds of the song Morey Piya, it was Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai who appeared on screen, not Shah Rukh Khan. This was the last time Salman and Aishwarya were seen together on the same set.
Salman and Aishwarya's relationship was also marred by controversy. Several reports suggested that their relationship ended on bad terms. Later, Aishwarya married Abhishek Bachchan, while Salman Khan remains unmarried to this day.
