‘He Has Experience..’: Sooraj Pancholi Says Salman Khan Stood by Him During Jiah Khan Case

May 10, 2025: Sooraj Pancholi, who was acquitted in 2023 of charges related to the suicide of actress Jiah Khan, recently shared his thoughts on the support he received from Salman Khan during his legal struggles. Speaking to Bollywood Bubble, Sooraj recalled how Salman, despite the controversy, always believed in his innocence.

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“Sooraj said, “Salman sir only asked me one thing, which my father also asked, ‘Sooraj, have you done something wrong?’ and once I said, ‘No sir, I have not,’ he never questioned me after that. He gave me a chance purely on trust. Also, he has the experience of going through a media trial. So maybe he was a good judge of trusting me at that point.”

He further added, “If people know what a trial is, they’d understand: every question must be answered, and every answer is questioned. I went through that entire process and was acquitted—not guilty—because they had no evidence against me. But nobody talked about it. The media didn’t support me.”

Sooraj also reflected on his own regrets, admitting, “Nobody supported me—because it didn’t give them the ‘masala’ they were looking for. I think my mistake was that I didn’t speak up for myself back then. A lot of people told me not to. But today, I feel that maybe if I had spoken up back then, people would’ve heard my side of the story, which, till today, I’ve never really shared. And I never will. It’s done now.”

The actor, who made his Bollywood debut with Hero alongside Athiya Shetty, will next be seen in Kesari Veer: Legends of Somnath, a historical drama with Suniel Shetty.