3 min readNew DelhiFeb 26, 2026 06:35 PM IST
Daisy Shah had been part of the industry since the early 2000s, but she rose to prominence only after starring opposite Salman Khan in the 2014 film Jai Ho. Interestingly, this wasn’t the first Salman Khan film she was offered. She had earlier been approached for his 2011 release Bodyguard, but turned it down as she felt the role would do justice to her acting aspirations.
Before stepping into films full-time, Daisy worked as an assistant to choreographer Ganesh Acharya. Speaking to Bollywood Hungama, she shared, “When I was an assistant choreographer, I earned Rs 5,000 on a daily basis. Sometimes we would shoot for ten days a month, and sometimes all thirty.”
Active since 2001, Daisy initially tried her luck in Kannada cinema and also made special appearances in several songs. It was during this phase that Salman offered her a role in Bodyguard, which she declined.
Clarifying the sequence of events, she said, “I never auditioned for Bodyguard. I had auditioned for Jai Ho. I was already doing a South film when I came to Mumbai and met Ganesh ji. Whenever I had free time, I would assist him. Later, he told me he was going to shoot a song for Dabangg, and I asked if I could join. He agreed. That’s where I met Salman sir.”
She added that during their interaction, she mentioned that she had begun acting in South films. At the time, Salman was casting for Bodyguard and offered her the role eventually played by Hazel Keech. “I wasn’t interested,” Daisy said. “If I am working with Salman Khan, I want to work with Salman Khan. The role was prominent, but I come from a dance background. I wanted a role that at least showcased my dancing. That was a major reason.”
In an interview with Bollywood Now, she admitted that rejecting the offer felt risky. “Mujhe laga ab mera patta kat gaya. After saying no, I thought there goes my chance of acting with him. Nobody says no to him. But somehow, I managed to.”
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Nearly a year and a half later, Salman reached out again and asked her to audition for Jai Ho. She cleared the audition and landed the role. Despite receiving mixed reviews, the film went on to become a commercial success, earning nearly Rs 190 crore in its lifetime run.
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