'There's a price to pay': How Salman Khan ate Biryani while getting hair injections

Film producer Shailendra Singh, who is known to be friends with Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, has recently shared an unusual anecdote about the actor. Singh recalled an incident when Khan underwent a hair treatment while casually eating biryani and chatting with him at Khan’s home in Galaxy apartments.

Singh appeared on Cyrus Broacha’s podcast and said that the incident took place years ago at Salman’s home in Galaxy apartments during a get-together on a Monday night.

Salman’s unusual hair treatment

According to Shailendra, Salman had a peculiar habit of eating while facing a mirror, often carrying on conversations through his reflection.

“I went to Salman for a meeting at his place in Galaxy Apartments. In those days, we used to have Monday night parties. He was sitting at the dining table, eating, and looking at himself in the mirror. He likes to eat while looking in the mirror. There’s a small table in the kitchen with a mirror in front, so you’re sitting next to him, but you’re actually talking through the mirror.”

Singh recalled that this became surreal when a man walked in carrying medical equipment.

“He’s sitting there eating biryani—you know Salman, he enjoys his food, especially after a few drinks. Suddenly, this strange-looking guy walks in, puts on gloves, takes out a needle and starts injecting his scalp. I’m watching all of this in the mirror and thinking, ‘What the f* is going on here?'”

When the producer asked Salman what was happening, the actor nonchalantly replied, “There’s a price to pay to be a star, bro.”

“He kept eating while the treatment continued,” Singh recalled.

The producer explained that he learnt later that Salman was undergoing a PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma) treatment, a procedure that uses a person’s own plasma to stimulate hair growth.

“At that time, I didn’t know what it was. I think everyone does it now—Hrithik does it, everybody does it. As you grow older and your hair starts thinning, you have to do these things.”

Shailendra Singh on his long friendship with Salman

Singh and Khan have been known to be old friends. Earlier in an interview with Siddharth Kannan, the producer had revealed that he had known Salman before he became a Bollywood superstar.

According to Shailendra Singh, their friendship dates back to his days in Cuffe Parade, where Salman would often visit to meet his then-girlfriend, Shaheen Jaffery. He described the actor as “all heart” but said the people around him had changed over the years.

“Salman and I go back to Cuffe Parade, where I used to live. He used to come there to meet his first girlfriend, Shaaheen Jaffery. Salman’s problem is that he is all heart. He’s an awesome guy, but the company he keeps is strange,” Shailendra remarked.

The producer felt that stardom changed Salman. “Salman is a tiger, but now he’s tamed. He was born a tiger in the jungle; now he’s a tiger in a zoo. Success makes you cautious, even fearful. Then people surround you, constantly telling you that you’re the boss and everyone else is wrong.”

Singh, who has produced films like Pyaar Mein Kabhie Kabhie, Phir Milenge, Makdee, also admitted that his friendship with Salman soured in later years.

“Our friendship was very strong, so I went to him and said I wanted to make this film with him—a full-fledged commercial project. But when I went to meet him, he had called several people into the meeting. That was my last meeting with Salman. I felt deeply insulted,” Shailendra Singh said.

He claimed he had wanted to discuss the project with Salman privately, but the actor insisted the conversation happen in front of everyone. Singh felt Salman had treated their friendship too casually, and that meeting turned out to be the last time they saw each other.