Actor Bobby Deol recently spoke about how Salman Khan helped him during a difficult phase in his career by offering him a role in Race 3. Bobby shared the experience during his appearance on Shekhar Tonite with Shekhar Suman.
Today, Bobby Deol is enjoying one of the strongest phases of his career after projects like Animal and The Ba***ds of Bollywood. However, the actor said there was a period when film offers had slowed down and he felt younger audiences no longer remembered him.
Speaking about that time, Bobby recalled receiving an unexpected phone call from Salman Khan. The actor remembered Salman asking him, “Salman was so sweet…He called me and asked ‘shirt utarega mamu?’ I said main kuch bhi karunga. He said come and get the narration and then I got in Race 3. I knew that millions of people are going to watch this Salman Khan movie. The young generation had forgotten about Bobby Deol. So I thought if I appear in this movie, people will remember that Bobby Deol is still there.”
Released in 2018, Race 3 marked Salman Khan’s entry into the Race franchise and featured actors including Anil Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez, Daisy Shah, and Saqib Saleem alongside Bobby Deol. Although the film received mixed reactions, it performed well at the box office and earned more than Rs 300 crore worldwide.
Bobby said the film became an important opportunity for him to reconnect with younger viewers. Talking about the impact, he added, “Millions of people are going to go watch a Salman Khan film. Jo young generation thi woh Bobby Deol ko bhool gayi thi (The young generation had forgotten Bobby Deol). So I felt ki main iss film me aaunga toh log pehchanenge ki koi Bobby Deol bhi hai (If I do this film, people will realise I exist).”
After Race 3, Bobby’s career gained momentum again with Aashram in 2020. His biggest comeback came with Animal, where his short but impactful role received strong attention from audiences and critics.
The actor has since worked in projects including The Ba**ds of Bollywood* and Hari Hara Veera Mallu. His upcoming films include Bandar directed by Anurag Kashyap and Jana Nayagan, which is being described as Vijay’s final film.