Bangladeshi actress and dancer Mehbuba Mahnoor Chandni has recalled an unforgettable childhood encounter with Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, revealing that she did not wash the hand she had shaken with him for seven days.
Chandni, who became a devoted Salman Khan fan after watching the 1989 blockbuster Maine Pyar Kiya, recently shared two photographs with the actor on Facebook. Alongside the pictures, she wrote, “With my Sallu. This is for those who called me ‘chapta’ after watching my interview.”
The actress said her opportunity to meet the Bollywood star came after a disappointment in the late 1990s. Around 1997–98, she bought a ticket for an event in Bangladesh after hearing that Salman was expected to attend. However, the programme was later cancelled, leaving her upset.
Determined to meet her favourite actor, Chandni continued looking for an opportunity. She eventually learned that Salman had arrived in Bangladesh and was staying at the Sheraton Hotel in Dhaka, now known as InterContinental Dhaka.
She went to the hotel with her mother, her friend Sadia Islam and a photographer she knew as Mohsin. Although she initially struggled to gain access, she eventually managed to enter the actor’s room with permission.
“I had to find a way to make the meeting happen. When we finally got the room details, we went there and found Salman Khan alone,” Chandni recalled. “After getting permission, I stood beside him.”
Still a school student at the time, Chandni introduced herself and asked to have a photograph taken with the star. She said she held his hand throughout their brief meeting.
Salman asked her name and later signed an autograph with the words, “Chandni, for your Salman.”
The actress said she can still vividly remember the moment he asked her name and looked at her. She described the actor as somewhat shy and said that brief exchange has remained especially memorable to her.
Recalling her reaction after returning home, Chandni said she had been so excited by the encounter that she avoided washing the hand she had held during the meeting for an entire week.
“It was simply the craziness of a young fan,” she said, explaining how deeply she admired the actor at the time.
Her childhood enthusiasm extended beyond that meeting. Chandni said she used to put Salman Khan’s photographs on her study table, door and various other places around her room.
For the actress, the encounter remains a cherished memory of the days when her admiration for the Bollywood star shaped so much of her childhood.
