My mother is upset with Salman Khan linkup reports: Sayyeshaa Saigal

Sayyeshaa Saigal, the 19-year-old who will make her debut with Shivaay has slammed malicious reports about linkups with Salman Khan.

Saigal, who is the daughter of Saira Banu's niece Shaheen and 90s actor Sumeet Saigal, stuck to guidelines given to newcomers for their first interview. She played it safe by praising co-actor Ajay Devgn and didn't get drawn into needless controversies.

The only time she seemed to be speaking from the heart was ridiculing reports of her mother being close to Sultan actor Khan. 

“I have immense respect for Salman sir, but there is no truth to these reports. I have met him just a couple of times. He knew I wanted to enter films, and was supportive. My mother is miffed with reports that claim that they were close. They probably must have met twice, that too, socially. People are probably mistaking her for another person with the same name,” Saigal told TOI.

Refuting the popular theory that her lineage made it easy for her in the Hindi film industry, the actress said, "People may find it hard to believe, but my family met Ajay (Devgn) sir only at social dos. He liked my pictures and called me to his office for an audition. A few days later, on my 17th birthday, I was told that I had bagged the role. It's one of my best birthdays so far.”

Another intriguing aspect of the film is how the actress is nearly three decades younger than her co-star Devgn (47). 

“Age is just a number. Mentally, I am 49 and he is 25. He has younger ideas than I do. He is among the country's biggest superstars and I wouldn't miss any opportunity to romance him. But yes, I am sure it must have been equally difficult for him to shoot with a young girl,”  said the young actress.

As it's widely buzzed, Saigals's character could be overshadowed by Polish actor Erika Kaar. The girl, though, is not affected by such insecurities. She says, “I would have thought about it if the film was a love story, which introduces a new pair. But Shivaay has many characters and the story will fall flat if you take any one of them out. As long as I have an important role and can deliver a good performance, I don't care if the project is a solo-heroine one or not. Having said that, I love candyfloss romances. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge is my favourite. Like most girls, I too would love to be part of films where I get to sing in a farm, wear chiffon saris and prance around trees. But I couldn't decline Shivaay. I wouldn't change my debut film; it is perfect.”

Shivaay releases on 28 October.