How Salman Khan harassed Aishwarya Rai in a male-dominated industry? (Throwback)

Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai were the most envied couples in Bollywood during the late 1990s and early 2000s. However, due to various reasons, the couples broke up in 2002. Due to Salman Khan's emotional character, he apparently created a huge ruckus after the breakup, and he continuously harassed Aishwarya Rai both personally and professionally.

Did Salman Khan try to spoil the career of Aishwarya Rai?

After the breakup, Aishwarya Rai gave an exclusive interview to Times of India where she talked about the bad experiences she faced from Salman Khan. During the talk, Aishwarya Rai claimed that Salman Khan hounds her, and he even hurt himself when she did not answer his calls.

Aziz Mirza had originally roped in Aishwarya Rai to share screen space with Shah Rukh Khan in the movie 'Chalte Chalte'. But Salman Khan created several problems during the filming, and it compelled the director to replace Aishwarya Rai with Rani Mukherjee.

"It is sad that I am being projected as unprofessional and calculating. Filmmakers who have signed me know that the only healing factor in my life is my work. This is a male-dominated industry and I guess it has been difficult for many to digest a woman holding her own with dignity. Nevertheless, there''s somebody up there who is with me," said Aishwarya.

Did Aishwarya Rai's career face set back after the breakup?

Even though Aishwarya Rai faced immense mental pressure following her break up with Salman Khan, her career was not affected, as in 2002, she starred in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Devadas'. Later, she appeared in several big-budget movies that include 'Dhoom 2', 'Guru, 'Jodhaa Akbar', 'Raavan', and 'Enthiran'.

Aishwarya Rai is currently busy with the shooting of her new movie 'Ponniyin Selvan' which is being directed Mani Ratnam. The film is loaded with an ensemble star cast that includes Vikram, Karthi, Jayam Ravi, Sarathkumar, Jayaram, Trisha, Aishwarya Lekshmi, and Prabhu. This movie is bankrolled by Lyca Productions in association with Madras Talkies.