22-year-old Zarine khan

Salman Khan called her destiny’s child and she couldn’t agree more. “I pinched myself everyday on the sets of Veer to check if I was actually acting opposite Salman,” says Zarine Khan, who is debuting in the film.

It is a lucky break for Zarine who was once a struggling model. “I did modelling for products that no one had even heard of. I was happy doing them because it gave me enough money to pay rent,” says the 22-year-old, who is the only earning member in her troubled family. Her father walked out on her ailing mother when Zarine was in college, after which she was forced to leave her studies and get a job. “I had no educational qualifications so I decided to try my hand at modelling, since I had a pretty face. I didn’t expect to become famous; I just wanted enough money to run the house,” she says.

Then one day, she got a call and was asked to reach the sets of Yuvvraaj. “I didn’t know why I was called, but who would refuse a chance to meet Salman Khan? So I went and nervously chatted with him for a few minutes. The next day I was told I was selected for Veer. It was all very surreal,” she gushes.

While she was initially intimidated by Salman’s presence, she says he went out of his way to make sure she was comfortable.

“We had several meetings before the film where he talked about my role of Princess Yashodhara. By the time we started shooting, I was relaxed,” she smiles before she adds, “There were times when I couldn’t get a scene right and would get really nervous about making him angry. But not once did he get even slightly annoyed. In fact, he helped with through every scene.”

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