Salman Khan once appeared in a film for just Rs 5,000. In a nostalgic conversation with Friday Talkies, director and cinematographer Lawrence D’Souza shared how he and his producer friend hired Salman for this amount shortly after seeing him in *Maine Pyar Kiya* in 1989. Lawrence recounted that director and producer S Ramanathan had agreed to this sum for Salman, but the project was never completed.
Despite Salman’s rising popularity, this situation continued. Salman himself began questioning why producers would sign him but fail to proceed with the films.
Lawrence explained, “We attended a special screening of *Maine Pyar Kiya* at Rajshri with S Ramanathan and Prayagraj. Initially, I wasn’t impressed, but as the film progressed, I started to like Salman’s performance. After the screening, S Ramanathan, with whom I was working on *Pratiksha*, suggested we sign Salman. I contacted Salman at his office near Raj Babbar’s place in Juhu, and we paid him a signing amount of Rs 5,000. However, S Ramanathan never started the film and went silent.”
S Ramanathan, known for films like *Bombay to Goa* (1972) and *Mahaan* (1983), had a recurring issue with Salman Khan. After missing the opportunity to work with Salman initially, Ramanathan paid him Rs 5,00,000 for another project that also failed to materialize. “Later, after Salman had a big hit, S Ramanathan tried again and paid him Rs 5,00,000, but again, the project didn’t move forward. Salman remarked, ‘What kind of person is he? He pays me and then does nothing!'”
Lawrence also discussed his 1991 hit *Saajan*, which featured Salman Khan, Madhuri Dixit, and Sanjay Dutt. He was paid Rs 8 lakh to direct the film, while Salman and Madhuri each received Rs 11 lakh, and Sanjay got Rs 12 lakh. Notably, Salman Khan’s net worth now stands at approximately Rs 2,900 crore, according to Forbes. Salman, now 58, will next appear in A.R. Murugadoss’ film *Sikandar*.
