Hero: Athiya and I can't let Salman sir down, says Sooraj Pancholi

Sooraj Pancholi says there wasn't any specific pressure on him and co-star Athiya Shetty for their upcoming film Hero but that of not letting mentor Salman Khan down.

"Salman sir never put any pressure on us. He never instructed us to work in a specific manner, or to take inspiration from other guys. Obviously there is a pressure because we've got such a big film and he is backing us. We can't let him down and that's a pressure," the actor told IANS at his film's promotions.

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Though Sooraj and Athiya are kids of Salman's close friends, Aditya Pancholi and Sunil Shetty respectively, the fathers didn't have a say in their launch. And it was Salman Khan, who decided to cast them in Hero.

Sooraj also added, "I was working with Kabir Khan on Ek Tha Tiger when I met Salman sir. And after shooting for 6-7 months in Turkey, the film was about to get completed. He came in my room at three on the night of my birthday and pulled me into his room and gave me a birthday gift which was Hero."

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Talking about how she got the role, Athiya said, "I used to go to the gym in Bandra where I came across Salman sir's sister. And she told him about me and anyway they were looking for an actor opposite Sooraj. He spoke to papa (Sunil) and the next thing I know is I'm on the sets of Hero."

Hero is a remake of the 1983 film, is being produced by Salman Khan and Subhash Ghai and is directed by Nikhil Advani. The film is slated to release on September 11 this year.