Before Salman Khan had his fans go crazy in a police uniform, sporting aviators and shaking his belt to chartbusters in Dabangg, he played a cop in Puneet Issar’s 2004 film Garv: Pride and Honour. In a recent chat, Puneet recalled how Salman initially dismissed the project, calling it a ‘Sunny Deol genre’ film.
Speaking on the YouTube channel Digital Commentary, Puneet said, “Salman and I have been friends for a long time. We worked as actors for a long time. I had told him that I am writing something. He heard the story of Garv and he liked it very much but he told me, ‘Why have you come to me with this?’ He thought that the film was a Sunny Deol genre. Salman never used to do those kind of films.”
Puneet Issar revealed he didn’t give up and explained to Salman Khan that it was time to break his ‘lover boy’ image. He said, “I told Salman, ‘I want to break your image.’ His image was that of a lover boy, more related to comedy. He had done films like Hum Aapke Hain Koun, Biwi No 1, Judwaa…he was a very big star but I told Salman that he needs to change his image. He liked the film’s script and he agreed to do it. I feel actors are like wild horses, who will only allow those who knows how to ride a horse to sit on it. It was a pleasure working with Salman. Yaaron ka yaar hai woh. He totally surrendered to the role.”
Talking about the famous cross sign Salman’s character makes in Garv, Puneet shared that it came from his own life. “I tend to cancel out people I don’t like,” he admitted, adding that since Salman shared a similar mindset, the two naturally vibed.
Garv, which marked Puneet Issar’s directorial debut, also starred Shilpa Shetty, Arbaaz Khan, and the legendary Amrish Puri.
