Not many know this, but Salman Khan hero-worships Dharmendra. The Bodyguard actor looks for ways to pay the ‘He-Man of Bollywood’ compliments either off or on screen. Hence, when an opportunity came to pay Dharmendra a tribute, Salman grabbed it with both hands.
The tribute can be seen in the circus scene of Ali Abbas Zafar’s Bharat that is directly inspired from Raj Kapoor’s Mera Naam Joker. “Our circus sequences are inspired from Raj saab’s Mera Naam Joker. Our circus troupe is international, just like the one in the film,” confirms the director.
In fact, Salman has modelled his character in the circus episode exactly on the lines of Dharmendra’s in the 1970 movie.
When the veteran actor was informed about Salman’s homage to him, the legendary actor fondly says, “Salman is like my third son (after Sunny and Bobby). He has always shown the greatest love not just for me, but also for my entire family. I am very fond of Salman. I am not surprised if he has modelled his character on me. He always says I’m his role model, so nice of him.”
It must be mentioned here that when Bobby Deol’s career was on a downfall, Salman gave him a meaty role in Race 3. Salman also made a guest appearance recently in Dharmendra’s family film Yamla Pagla Deewana Phir Se alongside the lead cast.
