‘Aditya Chopra Rescued Me, Would Have Died’: Sonam Recalls Almost Drowning During Vijay Shoot | Exclusive

Filmmaker Aditya Chopra saved popular late 80s and early 90s star Sonam Khan from drowning, the actress claimed in an exclusive chat with News18 Showsha. Sonam was the lead of Yash Chopra’s 1988 film Vijay. The film marked her Bollywood debut in which she starred alongside Rishi Kapoor. Khan grabbed eyeballs with her scenes in the bikini. Looking back at shooting the scene, Sonam has now revealed that she almost died that day but it had Aditya Chopra not jumped into the pool and saved her that day.

Sonam said that Yash Chopra had informed her about the bikini scene and got her consent before going ahead and shooting it. She revealed that the filmmaker had told her to learn how to swim before the schedule but Sonam turned a deaf ear. “I never bothered to learn swimming and we had a shooting in a hotel in Bangalore. It was a one-shot scene where Rishi ji was walking from one point, I walked from another and we both had to jump into the pool. I didn’t both to tell anybody anything so we both jumped into the pool and it was one shot,” she recalled.

“I jumped into the pool and I didn’t know how to swim. I was literally grabbing Rishi ji below with me. The best part is, people thought it was a shot going on and then Aditya Chopra jumped into the pool and he rescued me. I would have been dead… Or I would have harmed Rishi ji unknowingly that day, it was crazy,” Sonam added.

The incident left Sonam terrified. She said she couldn’t bring herself to swim ever again. “Whatever shots after that, Yash ji said, ‘You are a useless girl, not learned how to swim, what are you doing…’ The entire unit was there but it was Aditya Chopra realised that I was actually drowning. He jumped with his clothes and shoes on,” she added.

Sonam credits Rishi Kapoor for opening her door to Yash Raj Films. The actress recalled crossing paths with him on one of the film sets when he suggested she meet Yash Chopra. “I went to meet a producer on a film set and I met Rishi ji there. He didn’t know me but he walked up to me and asked, ‘What are you doing here? Who are you?’ I introduced myself and said, ‘I want to work in movies’. He said, ‘What are you doing here? These guys will ruin your career, go and meet Yash ji.’ I told him I don’t know Yash ji (in person). He said, ‘I will organise a meeting.’ And he was like a saint. I can’t thank him enough. He just changed and my life completely. I did three movies with him and not once did he made me feel indebted to him,” Sonam said.

The actress starred in 35 films in eight years. While she was popularly known as the ‘Oye Oye’ girl from Tridev, she also starred in films such as Vishwatma, Ajooba, Aaj Ke Shahenshah, and Insaniyat. She quit Bollywood in 1994 but is now eyeing a comeback project.