Daisy Shah has had to navigate constant scrutiny around her career, with a section of people often attributing her journey and achievements solely to Salman Khan, overlooking the hard work, persistence and talent she has brought to the table. Over the years, such perceptions have continued to follow her, even as she carved her own space in the industry. Adding to this was the body-shaming she faced early in her career, a phase that not only shook her confidence but also forced her to confront harsh public judgement.
In an exclusive interview with The Free Press Journal, Daisy Shah opened up about these experiences - ranging from industry perceptions to deeply personal struggles. The actress also reflected on how she has gradually learned to navigate criticism, block out the noise, and grow stronger through it.
Daisy Shah addressed the long-standing narrative that her career exists solely because of Salman Khan, and how such perceptions often overshadow her own hard work. "This again happens because of conditioning. People think that if a woman is doing something substantial in terms of work, there’s definitely someone who’s backing her, someone who’s helping her out. And there’s nothing wrong in it. Because today, if I am helping someone, it’s because someone had helped me. It’s a chain - you do good, you give out good, and then the chain continues. But people refuse to look at it. I don’t feel hurt about it anymore. I’m past it. I have become acclimatised to that particular trait.”
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Daisy also recalled the reception of her first film with Salman - Jai Ho and how external factors, including the political climate at the time, played a role in shaping public perception. “A lot of things were said when the movie released. At that time, the atmosphere was very political - it was 2014, the government was changing, parties were shifting, and people were defending their favourites. Our promotions took a different turn because people started thinking we were politically inclined towards someone, which was not the case. People did go to theatres, they saw the movie, and they liked it. But there was a lot of paid PR done around the film to push it in a negative direction.”
She further pointed out how the film’s performance was often misrepresented when compared to Salman Khan’s previous blockbusters like Ek Tha Tiger.
“A lot of people deliberately ignored the facts - even trade analysis. They ignored that the film was not a ₹100+ crore project; it was made on a budget of around ₹60 crore. The film did a business of about ₹138 crore at the box office. There was word of mouth, people liked the movie. But because Salman had already delivered a ₹189 crore film like Ek Tha Tiger, expectations were higher. People kept saying Salman Khan’s film didn’t make enough money, but they forget that Tiger was a ₹100+ crore film, and this one wasn’t. Also, it was a conscious decision from day one that the film would be tax-free, so ticket rates were as low as ₹120–₹180, even on weekends.”
