When Baba Siddique ended SRK-Salman’s feud, which began on Katrina’s birthday

On October 12, veteran politician and former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique breathed his last after being shot multiple times by armed assailants. This tragic assassination took place near his son MLA Zeeshan’s office in Bandra. Baba was a respected name in the world of politics, but he was also well-known for his lavish annual Iftar parties attended each year by the biggest celebs of Hindi cinema. In the pages of Bollywood’s history, his name also goes down as a peacemaker who ended one of the biggest feuds of all time— the one between Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan.
We are talking about the rift between the two Bollywood superstars caused by their infamous fight at Salman’s then-girlfriend and actor Katrina Kaif’s birthday bash in 2008. Rumours suggest that the verbal spat got intense, and almost turned into a violent affair. But ultimately SRK’s wife Gauri Khan stepped in and they left the party. For the next 5 years, Salman and Shah Rukh remained ‘unfriendly’. However, in 2013 they reconciled at Baba’s Iftar party. The late politician made Shah Rukh sit next to Salman’s writer-filmmaker father Salim Khan. When Bollywood’s Bhaijaan arrived for the starry affair, he greeted everyone before nodding at SRK.
Videos and photos of the same had gone viral, sending the internet into a frenzy. In this clip, Salman and Shah Rukh shared a hug, burying the hatchet, before posing with the host who played peacemaker for them. It was an iconic moment for Indian cinema and all the credit goes to Baba. Post his Iftar party, SRK and Salman went back to being buddies. Thus began a series of onscreen reunions— from Shah Rukh promoting his film on Salman’s Bigg Boss to Bhaijaan’s iconic cameo in SRK’s Zero (2018). In 2023, the superstars dropped jaws when they shared the screen for monumental cameos in each other’s films, Pathaan and Tiger 3.
Baba Siddique is not amongst us anymore, but he will continue to live on in our hearts and memories through his good deeds. May he rest in peace.