How Bollywood star Salman Khan made world champion boxer Nikhat Zareen’s childhood dream come true

After becoming the world and Commonwealth Games champions earlier this year, Indian boxer Nikhat Zareen has managed to tick off yet another wish from her bucketlist - meeting Bollywood superstar Salman Khan.

Nikhat Zareen recently met Salman Khan, admittedly her favourite Bollywood actor, on the sets of Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan - Salman’s next film. The two were pictured sharing some candid moments together and even recreated a small sequence from Saathiya Tune Kya Kiya, a hit song from Salman Khan’s movie ‘Love’.

The Indian boxer shared the video as a reel on her social media handles.

“The moment I've dreamed about since I was a child, the one I've been looking forward to my whole life. Living in this moment feels surreal. I was incredibly nervous before meeting him (Salman Khan). When I met him, I was overwhelmed by his humility,” Nikhat Zareen wrote in an accompanying post.

“I was touched by his gesture of signing his autograph for me, taking reels, and taking selfies of us all by himself. During our conversation, he asked me about my boxing journey and wished me good luck for the upcoming competitions,” the 26-year-old boxer added.

Nikhat Zareen’s admiration for the Bollywood star, however, isn’t one-sided.

The two got acquainted shortly after Nikhat Zareen’s historic gold medal win at the World Boxing Championships 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey in May. The triumph made Nikhat Zareen only the fifth Indian boxer after MC Mary Kom, Sarita Devi, Jenny Lalremliani and Lekha KC to become world champion.

During an interview with NDTV after her exploits in Istanbul, Nikhat Zareen had revealed, “I'm a huge fan of Salman Khan, my dream is to win the Olympic medal and meet him in Mumbai.”

The Bollywood actor took notice of the interview and congratulated Nikhat Zareen on her achievement.