Salman is my hero in reel and real life: Daisy Shah

Mumbai: Newcomer Daisy Shah, who will be seen in Salman Khan starrer `Jai Ho`, says she regretted saying no to the superstar for his hit film `Bodyguard`.

"I regret only about one thing and that was saying no to Salman. I think whether you work with Salman or not, his presence in your life is more than enough. In that way, I felt I lost out on him. I look at him as a hero, as my hero in real and in reel life. I am fond of him, I am romancing him (in the film)," Daisy told PTI in an interview. Daisy was offered to play Kareena Kapoor Khan`s best friend in `Bodyguard`, but the role did not excite her. "I was not convinced with the part that I was offered to play. I was shooting for a south film and dates were also a problem. I couldn`t put that project on hold, I had to concentrate on one thing, I chose to do south film," she said. But it took her sometime to explain to Salman the reason for saying no. "I took time to give an answer to him. I was preparing myself for 7-8 days how to say no to him. I feel anything done half heartedly is a waste," she said. When she rejected the role, Salman just said ok, but did not take it well. She said during the shooting of `Jai Ho`, Salman said he was angry with her for not doing the role. Daisy was one of the background dancers in Salman`s `Maine Pyaar Kyu Kiya` and he noticed her once and asked her if she would like to get into acting. "We were shooting for a song in South Africa for `Maine Pyaar Kyu Kiya` and while doing rehearsals he saw a glimpse of mine in a video tape. He felt I had the potential of becoming big or getting into acting. He did not tell me anything that time as I was not prepared what to do next. When he learnt that I have done modelling and acted in south films he asked me for films," the actress said. Salman has launched several newcomers and people look upto him as a godfather and a mentor. "When I have to say something about him, I fall short of words. Whoever I am today, wherever I am today is because of him. I owe it to him," she said. Daisy is all praise for Salman as an actor. "When you are working with Salman you learn things continuously, there is always a scope of improvement. He wants everybody to show that you are involved in the film and not to be aloof," she added.