From ‘Karan Arjun’ To ‘Pathaan’, Tracing The Timeline Of SRK & Salman Khan’s Yaarana

I finally got to watch Pathaan with my friends and what an experience it was! We cheered throughout and enjoyed every second of this epic film that has revived the box office after what feels like a lifetime. The scene that had me screaming the loudest? The Karan-Arjun moment! I had goosebumps when Salman Khan made his stellar entry and it was surreal to watch the two Khans sharing the screen. I have been thinking about the SRK-Salman dosti ever since. The two superstars have kept fans equally invested in their real-life story of friends-turned-foes-turned-friends again. Ever wondered what exactly transpired between Bollywood’s leading Khans? I just traced the entire timeline of their friendship. Scroll down:

1995: The Beginning Of A Great Partnership 

In 1995, Salman and SRK took the film industry by storm with their memorable performances in Karan Arjun. They played brothers in the film and the fans immediately fell in love with their jodi. 

1998: Tera Yaar Hoon Main

Salman and SRK’s brotherhood continued after Karan Arjun. SRK even invited the Hum Aapke Hain Koun actor to the stage to give a speech on his behalf during the 1998 Zee Cine Awards. Salman looked genuinely happy about SRK’s “Best Actor” award.

1998-Early 2002: The Partnership Continues 

Salman and SRK continued making guest appearances in each other’s films after Karan Arjun. While Salman did a cameo in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), SRK made a guest appearance in Har Dil Jo Pyaar Karega (2002). They appeared in the lead roles yet again in Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam (2002).  

2002: Things Fall Apart

A dark shadow had fallen over Salman by the early 2000s. His relationship with Aishwarya Rai turned sour shortly after it started during the shoot of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. Madly in love, Salman was yet to come to terms with the heartbreak. The consequent spiral impacted all his relationships including his friendship with SRK. As per reports, Salman wasn’t too happy with the attention that Aishwarya and Shah Rukh’s jodi was getting from the film fraternity and fans. Things turned sour when Salman decided to drop unannounced on the sets of SRK’s Chalte Chalte. He created a scene and forced Aish to leave mid-shoot. The film was being made under Dreamz Unlimited, SRK’s production venture that was already suffering. Sources suggest that Salman’s behaviour did not sit well with King Khan who immediately replaced Aishwarya with Rani Mukerji!

2002-2007: Damage Control & Reconciliations

By mid-2002, rumours of Aish and Salman’s break-up were going strong. Later, the actress made some shocking allegations and accused him of physically and mentally harassing her. This came as a big blow to Salman’s image and he finally accepted that it was time to move on. Shortly after, he started reaching out to friends he had lost during the entire phase and reportedly, SRK was one of them. During a 2004 Koffee With Karan episode, SRK also took responsibility for things going sour between him and Salman. In 2007, Salman Khan’s guest appearance in Om Shanti Om came as an assurance for the fans. It looked like things were back to normal.  

2008: I’ll Be There For You

This was the year when SRK started hosting Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain, a reality show that didn’t perform well. Meanwhile, Salman was anchoring the super hit show Dus Ka Dum. SRK even made a guest appearance in Salman’s reality show and the two gave a heartwarming moment. When asked about a person who has been with him through thick and thin, SRK promptly replied, “Salman yaar main agar kabhi trouble mein hun…actually, mujhse zyada agar meri family kabhi touble mein hai toh tum ho. (If I am ever in trouble or if my family is in trouble, I have you, Salman.)” The host nodded in agreement and said,  “Woh toh hai (That’s true).” 

2008: The Public Showdown

Unfortunately, 2008 was also the year when the Khans had their biggest showdown. It all happened during Katrina Kaif’s birthday party. According to the sources, an argument broke after Salman took a dig at SRK’s unsuccessful reality show. Things escalated and rumours suggested that the DDLJ actor ended up making some unsavoury comments about Salman’s relationship with Aishwarya. The situation got heated and both the actors left the party fuming. 

2008-2013: Ugly Digs & Comebacks

While SRK remained tight-lipped on the fight for a long time, Salman talked about it during some interviews. He even dissed SRK by saying how he’d call him “sir” during the struggling days and then changed over the years.

Later, SRK performed on Salman’s song during IIFA 2011. While he didn’t make any explicit comments, it looked like SRK was mocking the actor with his weird steps on Dabangg’s title track.

2013: Baba Sidddique’s Famous Iftaar Party

After half a decade of cold war, SRK and Salman finally reconciled at politician Baba Siddique’s Iftaar party. The stars were in the same room after a long time and people were anticipating fireworks. But in an unexpected turn of events, the politician made SRK and Salman hug each other and the entire room started cheering. 

2014-2015: Picking Where They Left 

Eventually, things started getting normal. The two even shared each other’s movie trailers. While Salman hyped up Dilwale on Instagram, SRK shared Bajrangi Bhaijaan’s first look on Twitter. Soon enough, they started attending each other’s birthdays and other celebrations.

2016: An Emotional Throwback

During the 2016 Star Screens awards, fans got the public SRK-Salman reconciliation they were looking forward to. Both the stars got teary-eyed as throwback clips from Karan Arjun played on a big screen. The two even got on the stage together and danced to the film’s song. 

Later, the two stars talked about why they fought and gracefully ended the topic by saying it was a debate over who is happier among the two. 

2017-2022: Just Like Old Times

Things were back to normal between the two Khans by 2018 and Salman even did a cameo in SRK’s Zero. In 2021-2022, Salman extended unconditional love for the Om Shanti Om actor when his son got arrested by NCB. 

2023: Mere Pathaan-Tiger Aa Gaye!

Fans just witnessed the most iconic SRK-Salman moment in Pathaan. Everyone was rooting for Salman aka Tiger when he arrived to save Pathaan. The scene also teased the audience about an upcoming SRK debut in Tiger 3 and I am eagerly waiting for it to happen.

Here’s hoping Salman and SRK continue to give us iconic movie moments!

Featured Image: Twitter