Aishwarya Rai and Salman Khan’s past relationship continues to attract attention years after their reported breakup in 2002. In a recent interview, advertising filmmaker Prahlad Kakkar spoke about that period and shared his personal observations about how Aishwarya coped after the relationship ended. Kakkar, who worked with Aishwarya during her modelling days, said he tried to support her during what he described as a difficult phase in her life.
Speaking to journalist Vickey Lalwani on his YouTube channel, Kakkar claimed that Aishwarya was more hurt by how she believed she was treated by the film industry than by the breakup itself. According to him, she felt that many people had chosen to support Salman Khan instead of remaining neutral. Recalling their conversation, he said, “I was just supportive of her. I told her, ‘Don’t worry about it.’ She said, ‘But the industry…’ Her greatest hurt was being abandoned by the industry for Salman. She really felt that; she felt so betrayed. The breakup, in fact, was a huge relief at the end of it.”
He further added, “She wasn’t upset about the breakup. She was upset that everybody took Salman’s side and not hers. The truth was on her side. She didn’t trust the industry anymore because it wasn’t playing fair. I could understand if she was wrong and the other party was right, or if both sides were treated equally. But nothing. It was completely one sided.”
Kakkar also made claims about Salman Khan’s behaviour during that period. He said, “How do you deal with somebody like that?” while describing him as “very physical and obsessive.” He clarified that Aishwarya had not personally shared these details with him and explained, “No, I knew because I was living in the same building. He used to make scenes in the foyer and would bang his head on the wall. The relationship had ended long before it officially ended. It was a relief for everyone. Her parents, her, the whole world.” These are Kakkar’s personal claims and have not been independently verified.
Following their reported breakup in 2002, Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai did not work together again. In a 2012 interview with Simi Garewal, Aishwarya chose not to discuss that chapter of her life, saying, “I think I have quite shut it out. I think I wouldn’t want to get into looking at it any which way and especially on a public platform. I really wouldn’t want to.”
Aishwarya Rai later married Abhishek Bachchan in April 2007. The couple welcomed their daughter, Aaradhya Bachchan, in 2011.