Throwback: When Priya Gill slapped SRK and the set went silent

Mumbai: Working with superstar Shah Rukh Khan aka King Khan is a dream come true for many actors. But what if your first big scene with him involves slapping him across the face? Nerve-wracking, right? That’s exactly what happened with actress Priya Gill while filming the hit 2000 movie Josh.

If you’re a Shah Rukh Khan fan and have watched Josh, you might remember the moment during a song sequence where Priya Gill’s character slaps SRK. The scene, though brief, ended up becoming one of the most unforgettable and uncomfortable experiences for the actress.

An old interview of Priya Gill with Lehren is resurfacing online where the actress candidly recalled, “The most embarrassing thing I did in my entire film career was when I slapped Shah Rukh.” She shared how the scene had to be shot multiple times because the director, Mansoor Khan, felt she wasn’t hitting hard enough to reflect her character’s anger.

“I had to slap him at the beginning of the song, and we kept doing it again and again in Goa. Shah Rukh said, ‘You hit me… hit me,’ and Mansoor said, ‘Hit him, hit him.’ So I had no choice but to actually punch him,” she revealed.

The moment the slap landed, everything came to a standstill on set. “There was complete silence. The camera kept rolling, and the director forgot to say cut. KV, the cameraman, even joked, ‘Girls are going to hate you because you hit Shah Rukh.’”

Despite the awkward situation, Priya fondly recalled SRK’s gracious attitude. “He was really sweet about it and even explained how to do it properly. I was so nervous thinking, ‘He’s such a big star, what if I mess up?’ But he made us feel so comfortable.”

Josh, set in Goa, tells the story of two rival gangs, with Shah Rukh Khan playing Max, the fiery gang leader, and Aishwarya Rai as his sister Shirley. The film remains a cult favourite even today.

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