उन्होंने कहा, “वहां एक समारोह था, मुझे लगता है कि यह पुलिस मेला कार्यक्रमों में से एक था। जॉन और सलमान दोनों वहां थे। हर कोई जानता था कि उस समय उनकी आपस में नहीं बन रही थी। सलमान ने कार्यक्रम में उन्हें नजरअंदाज कर दिया और किसी ने मुझे इस बारे में फोन किया।”

जैसा कि उनका अभ्यास था, उन्होंने रिपोर्ट प्रकाशित करने से पहले जानकारी को सत्यापित करने का निर्णय लिया।

“मैं हमेशा कहानी लिखने से पहले अभिनेताओं, निर्देशकों और निर्माताओं से संपर्क करता हूं। मैंने सलमान को संदेश भेजा और लिखा, ‘सलमान, मैं किसी चीज के संबंध में संपर्क करना चाहता हूं। क्या मैं आपसे दो मिनट के लिए बात कर सकता हूं?'” सु[perstar called him after the second message.

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The message that prompted Salman to call back

Once he explained the issue, there was laughter on the other end. “He said, ‘You called me for this?’ I said, ‘Yes sir, for this.’ I don’t think many people call Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan or even Amitabh Bachchan for quotes on stories. Very few instances like that happen.”

What Salman said next caught him by surprise.

“He told me, ‘I thought you needed money. I thought somebody at your home was unwell and you needed help.’ He genuinely thought I needed help because I had written that it was urgent. That’s why he called.”

Salman’s response to his question was brief. “He said, ‘John? John who?’ After that, someone from his team took the phone and said Salman had only called because he thought I needed help. They thanked me and ended the conversation.”

The exchange eventually inspired a headline. It consisted of just two words: “John Who?”

What was the Salman Khan-John Abraham issue?

While neither Salman Khan nor John Abraham has publicly detailed the exact reasons behind their reported fallout, industry reports over the years have linked it to disagreements during the 2006 Rockstars concert tour. Several reports claimed there were differences regarding financial contributions and other tour-related matters, after which the relationship between the two actors reportedly turned cold.

The tension was said to have carried over to the period when they worked together in films such as Baabul and Salaam-e-Ishq. Over the years, reports of a cold war between the two stars surfaced repeatedly, although neither actor openly discussed the matter in detail.

There were also reports linking the friction to a separate controversy involving Katrina Kaif during the early years of her career, though John denied having any role in her removal from a film and maintained that he did not have the authority to influence casting decisions at the time.