Divya Dutta recently opened up about her early days in the industry, revealing that she once had crushes on both Salman Khan and Farhan Akhtar—only to end up playing their sister on screen.Speaking in an interview with Shubhankar Mishra, Divya laughed about the irony and admitted that she even questioned the casting at one point. “Maine poocha bhi tha—mere jazbaaton se kyun khel rahe ho?” she said, recalling how she confronted the situation with humour.
‘Salman ke saath kaam karna hi badi baat thi’
Talking about her experience with Salman, the actor shared that the crush never really translated into awkwardness on set. “Jab Salman ke saath kaam kiya, tab aisa kuch feel hi nahi tha. Main uss position mein bhi nahi thi ki kuch bolun. Unke saath kaam karna hi mere liye badi baat thi. He was very nice to me,” she said, adding that the superstar was “very protective” during the shoot.She also reminisced about being drawn to Salman’s early on-screen persona. “Woh Maine Pyar Kiya wala phase—innocence aur naughty charm ka combination—bahut endearing tha,” she added.
‘Farhan nahi, mujhe Milkhaji dikhe’
With Farhan, however, Divya did question filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra about being cast as his sister. “Maine poocha ki mujhe behen ka role kyun de rahe ho. Unhone kaha—tum actor ho,” she recalled.But her perspective shifted dramatically once she saw Farhan in character. “Jab set par gayi aur unhe dekha, mujhe Farhan nahi, Milkhaji dikhe. Tab laga main kitni chhoti baat ko lekar baithi thi,” she said, adding that the two eventually became good friends.
A ‘filmi’ first meeting with Shah Rukh Khan
Divya also shared an anecdote about her first meeting with Shah Rukh Khan, calling it nothing short of cinematic. She recalled tripping on the stairs while carrying her portfolio, only to have the superstar help her pick it up.“Unhone ‘Hi Divya’ bola. Main shock ho gayi ki unhe mera naam kaise pata. Unhone kaha mera naam shortlist mein tha,” she said.Explaining Shah Rukh’s enduring appeal, Divya added, “Woh women ko bahut respect aur pyaar se treat karte hain, especially co-actors ko. Unka andaaz aur tehzeeb unhe alag banata hai.”
‘Unhone pooch kar meri line li’
The actress also praised Shah Rukh’s humility, recalling an incident from the sets of Veer-Zaara. “Unhone mujhse pooch kar meri line li—jabki unhe poochne ki zarurat nahi thi. That’s the kind of person he is,” she said.She further revealed how he once ensured the safety of his female co-stars at the airport, waiting until everyone had left. “Aap aisi cheezein bhool nahi sakte,” she added.
‘Extremely good-looking with a naughty innocence’
Summing up her admiration for Salman, Divya said, “Ek toh extremely good-looking the, aur unki aankhon mein ek naughty innocence thi—jo bohot endearing hai.”Despite the early crushes and unexpected casting choices, Divya’s takeaway remains rooted in craft. “Actor hoon… aur jab role itna umda ho, toh sab secondary ho jata hai,” she signed off.