Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has finally addressed one of the most talked-about Bollywood controversies, his alleged feud with singer Arijit Singh.
During the latest Weekend Ka Vaar episode of Bigg Boss 19, the actor cleared the air, revealing that there was never any real animosity between them and that the misunderstanding had stemmed from his side.
Salman Khan addresses the long-standing rift
In a candid conversation with comedian Ravi Gupta on the show, Salman laughed off the comparisons between Gupta and Arijit, before setting the record straight. He said, “Arijit aur main bahut acche dost hai. Jo misunderstanding thi, meri side se thi. Uske baad usne gaane bhi kiye mere liye. Tiger 3 mein kiya tha, ab Galwan mein kar raha hai.” (“Arijit and I are very good friends. The misunderstanding was from my side. After that, he even sang songs for me, in Tiger 3 and now for Galwan.”)
This is the first time Salman has publicly spoken about the issue that had reportedly caused years of tension between the two stars. His statement has effectively put to rest one of Bollywood’s most enduring rumours.
The 2014-awards-night incident
The feud traces back to the Star Guild Awards 2014, where Salman Khan was hosting and Arijit Singh was called on stage to receive an award for his hit song Tum Hi Ho. Dressed casually and visibly tired, Arijit greeted the hosts when Salman jokingly asked, “So gaye the?” Arijit humorously replied, “Aap logon ne sula diya yaar.”
While the audience laughed, reports suggested that Salman took the remark as disrespectful. What followed was a flurry of rumours claiming that Arijit’s songs were dropped from several of Salman’s films, including Kick, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, and Sultan. Notably, the soulful Jag Ghoomeya from Sultan was sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan instead of Arijit.
Arijit Singh’s public apology
As speculation continued, Arijit Singh publicly apologized to Salman in 2016 via Facebook. In a now-deleted post, he wrote, “Dear Mr Salman Khan, I have been trying to tell you that I never meant to insult you. That night was just bad timing. I am extremely sorry about it. Please don’t remove my voice from your film; I have sung it keeping your persona in mind.” Despite the singer’s emotional plea, neither party commented publicly, until now.
The ice finally breaks
Rumours of reconciliation began surfacing in 2023 when Arijit was spotted leaving Salman’s Mumbai residence. Later, the singer lent his voice to Le Ke Prabhu Ka Naam from Tiger 3, marking their much-awaited collaboration and signalling the end of their cold war.
With Salman’s recent clarification on Bigg Boss 19, it’s now official; the feud that once shook Bollywood is finally over. Fans across social media celebrated the news, praising both Salman and Arijit for moving past the misunderstanding.