In Bollywood, surprise throwbacks are always a delight for viewers. Occasionally, an unseen scene or a nostalgic moment returns into focus and instantly becomes internet gold. That is exactly what happened when a Salman Khan, Aishwarya Rai, and Abhishek Bachchan viral clip from the year 2000 suddenly took over social media timelines this week. The short scene, pulled from the romantic drama Dhaai Akshar Prem Ke, has now become the center of attention, triggering a burst of nostalgia and curiosity among fans.
A Rare On-Screen Trio
For those unfamiliar with the film, Dhaai Akshar Prem Ke starred Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai in the lead roles back when the two were just co-stars and not yet married. But what many people seem shocked to discover today is that even Salman Khan also appeared in the film, though just for a brief cameo. So technically, yes, there was a Salman Khan, Aishwarya Rai, and Abhishek Bachchan movie together, long before real-life equations changed forever.
The resurfaced video shows Salman driving a truck with Abhishek seated beside him. As they pass a lonely stretch of road, Aishwarya Rai’s character appears, waving and trying to stop the truck to get a lift. However, the truck keeps going, leaving her behind. Soon after, Salman drops Abhishek off, telling him this is where their paths separate. Simple scene, but the timing of these three actors together makes it intriguing.
The moment has now gone viral because for today’s generation of Bollywood followers, seeing Salman, Aishwarya, and Abhishek in the same frame is nothing short of surreal, especially considering their past.
Netizens Lose It: “What Universe Is This?”
As soon as the video began circulating online, fans flooded the comments with disbelief and surprise. One comment summed up the collective reaction perfectly: “What universe is this?”—a viral Bollywood clip moment! Another user called it an “unexpected crossover episode,” while someone else wrote, “I’ve watched Bollywood all my life, but how did I miss this?!”
Trending all over Instagram and X (formerly Twitter), the moment has now been tagged as the Bollywood viral video that Salman, Aishwarya, and Abhishek fans didn’t know they needed. Under the reels sharing the clip, nostalgic fans confessed to rewatching the scene multiple times, while others debated how awkward it must have been to shoot.
Many didn’t realize the context of the timeline. Back in 2000, Aishwarya Rai and Salman Khan were still in a relationship, and Abhishek Bachchan was just a co-star, not yet her future husband. One user rightly clarified:
“It looks like people are not aware that Salman and Ash were still in a relationship till 2001 and there was no Abhishek connection. Their chapter started way later after ‘Kuch Na Kaho’ in 2003.”
Clearly, this video has become more than a nostalgic throwback—it has revived discussions about some of Bollywood’s most talked-about relationships.
When Personal Lives Overshadow Careers
The viral moment has also brought back conversations about what followed after Aishwarya Rai and Salman Khan parted ways. While both are now settled in their own lives in happiness, their previous relationship was one of the largest media sensations of the early 2000s. The Salman Khan-Aishwarya Rai relationship breaking news clip continues to make headlines whenever aged interviews or quotes get retweeted.
Ad filmmaker Prahlad Kakkar recently opened up in an interview about how the breakup affected Aishwarya emotionally and professionally. He revealed that while he was there to support her during the tough phase, Aishwarya felt hurt not just by the end of the relationship but by how parts of the industry seemingly turned against her.
According to Kakkar:
“She wasn’t upset about the breakup. She was upset that everybody took Salman’s side and not hers. She felt abandoned by the industry. That betrayal hurt her the most.”
His comments add emotional weight to the resurfaced discussion, reminding fans that behind glam and gossip are real human stories.
A Cameo That Became Cinema History
While Dhaai Akshar Prem Ke didn’t become a massive box office hit, it is now remembered for unexpected reasons—especially this resurfaced cameo. The Dhaai Akshar Prem Ke Salman-Aishwarya-Abhishek cameo has now been declared by fans as one of Bollywood’s most unusual and iconic trivia facts.
Interestingly, despite all the noise today, at the time of its release, hardly anyone highlighted or even spoke much about the cameos in the film. It seems the internet has now given the film a fresh lease of life, purely through nostalgia and a strange alignment of three big Bollywood stars.
Final Thoughts
The Netizens’ reaction to the Salman-Aishwarya-Abhishek film scene syndrome shows how strongly Bollywood fans emotionally identify with its stars—not just with the story of its films, but also with prehistories. Its comeback is a time capsule—one that freezes a moment prior to affairs being rearranged, careers being reordered, and fate being determined.
This is also a reminder of the unpredictability of digital virality. Sometimes, it isn’t a brand-new release or a controversial statement that trends—it is a forgotten film scene from 24 years ago that unexpectedly brings the internet together, saying, once again:
“What universe is this?”
Whether you’re team nostalgia, team gossip, or simply fascinated by Bollywood history, this Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan, and Salman Khan cameos throwback is proof that cinema memories never truly fade—they just wait to go viral.