Sonali Bendre recalls Salman Khan’s support during her cancer battle: ‘He would call up and check with my husband’

Sonali Bendre and Salman Khan shared great chemistry in the 1999 family drama ‘Hum Saath-Saath Hain’.While the movie showed a happy family, their off-screen relationship was quite different at the start. Sonali recently shared how she and Salman were not close when they first worked together, but their bond changed over time, especially after her cancer diagnosis.
A star-studded film, a rocky start
‘Hum Saath-Saath Hain’, directed by Sooraj Barjatya, was a big hit in 1999. The film brought together a huge cast and showed a loving joint family. On screen, Salman and Sonali looked perfect together. But behind the scenes, things were quite different.

In a chat with ANI, Sonali admitted that she didn’t get along with Salman at first. “I grew to like Salman later. I mean, it was a process. At the time of Hum Saath Saath Hain, I don't think we were... let me put it mildly. We were not best of friends.”

Pranks and annoyance on set
Sonali remembered how Salman’s playful side would often annoy her during filming. As someone who took her work seriously, she didn’t enjoy his behind-the-camera tricks.

“But there are two sides to Salman. You can either love him or you will hate him. And at that point of time, I was not fond of him. When I was doing Hum Saath Saath Hain. I mean, I have had my close-ups that we are doing when he's standing behind the camera and making faces at me. But that was Salman. He's a prankster. He's like a child. But at that point of time, I was most offended that what is this behaviour? And, you know, like, I don't want... I'm not even going to talk to you, this behaviour...”

While Salman’s childish pranks made the atmosphere light for some, Sonali found it hard to connect with him. Their working relationship was purely professional and not particularly warm.
A life-changing diagnosis
Years later, things changed completely. In 2018, Sonali was diagnosed with stage four metastatic cancer. She flew to New York for treatment and faced one of the hardest times of her life. It was during this phase that Salman stepped in, showing a side of him that Sonali had never seen before.

“And, you know, suddenly, I mean, for the same person who's making faces behind the camera is the same person who has made two trips maybe to New York where I'm there to see if I'm okay in my illness and for the fact that he would call up and check with my husband, and say, are you sure you've got the right doctors? I think you should get in touch with these doctors also,” she said.
A different side of Salman
Through her illness, Sonali saw how caring Salman could be. She described how he took on a responsible, elder-like role in the film industry and truly cared about her recovery.

“Giving, sending the names that, okay, I know you've got her here, but maybe you should talk to these people also. Just being so invested in wanting to know that, is he doing it correctly? You know, where he felt like jo ye hum industry ke log hai this is a fraternity. And he suddenly turned into something like an elder person in the fraternity who was saying, are you sure you've touched all the bases? You've checked all the boxes, you've ticked them all,” she added.

Respect and care that left a mark
For Sonali, these actions spoke louder than any words. Salman’s concern, suggestions, and visits were more than just friendly gestures—they helped her feel seen and supported during a dark time. “And then once he was convinced that we had done what is the best option at this point, he was calm about it. But to do that just showed how sensitive and caring he is,” she shared.

Sonali became cancer-free in 2021 after a long battle with cancer and has since been using her platform to support other survivors and raise awareness.