Meet Salim Khan's First Wife, Salma, Supported Him Through Financial Crisis, Mom Of Four Children

Salim Khan is a renowned Indian screenwriter, actor, and film producer. He is well known as one-half of the prolific screenwriting duo, Salim-Javed. Currently, the celebrated screenwriter is admitted to the ICU at Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai. The 90-year-old veteran screenwriter is best known for Hindi classics, Sholay, Seeta Aur Geeta, Zanjeer and Deewar.

Coming to his personal life, Salim has two wives, Salma Khan and Helen. He is the father of four children, Salman Khan, Sohail Khan, Arbaaz Khan and Alvira Khan Agnihotri. Later, he adopted a girl named Arpita with his second wife, Helen. Long before establishing his foothold in the Bollywood film industry, he got married to Salma Khan. The couple has been married for 61 years now. Now that Salim Khan is hogging the limelight for his health concerns, let us introduce you to his first wife, Salma, who has become his pillar of strength over the years.

Who is Salim Khan's first wife, Salma Khan?

According to a report by Starsunfolded, Salma was born as Sushila Charak on December 6, 1942. Her father was a dentist and belonged to the Dogra community. She is widely known as the first wife of the prominent Indian screenwriter, Salim Khan. The couple met at a time when Salim’s career in the entertainment world was just getting started. According to a report by Money Control, the duo instantly fell in love and got married in 1964 after dating for five years.

Salim Khan and Salma Khan's love story

In 2024, a docu-series titled Angry Young Men, featuring Salim-Javed's 11-year journey in the industry, was released on Amazon Prime. In one of the episodes, the veteran screenwriter, Salim Khan, opened up about his life when he had just arrived in Mumbai. Due to the financial crisis, the 90-year-old screenwriter had to live at Marine Drive’s Marina Guest House for Rs. 55 per month for half the room as he couldn’t afford an entire room for Rs. 110.

Salim revealed that he came to Mumbai, leaving behind his home in Indore, to make his career in acting in Mumbai. While he was struggling to build his career, he met the love of his life, Salma. She lived in his neighbourhood, and the duo would often steal glances at one another from their respective homes. Salma used to live in the Regi House building in Mahim. When Salim and Salma first crossed paths, they were 24 and 17, respectively. The two used to meet in the evening in the nearby lanes.

Inside Salim Khan and Salma Khan's married life

Salim tied the knot with Salma in 1964. The couple had an interfaith marriage. However, Salma’s father initially objected to their marriage due to the difference in religion. Speaking about the same, in a 2025 interview with Free Press Journal, Salim shared that his father-in-law respected the fact that he belonged to a good family, and was educated, but his only objection was the religion. Salim was quoted as saying:

"He had investigated my background when the matter of my wedding came about and respected the fact that I came from a good family and was well-educated. He candidly told me that my religion was his only objection. I assured him that even if we had disagreements or fights, my wife and I would certainly not have them because of our religions! We have been wedded now for 60 years!"

The couple followed both Hindu and Nikaah rituals. In the same interview, Salim revealed that Salma deeply cherished the saat phere ritual and thus himself found a pandit. They had a nikaah ceremony. He was quoted as saying:

"My wife had loved the saat phere ritual and had seen her sister as well as cousin follow it. So I myself found a pandit in my locality aur phere lagwa liye. We had a nikaah too, which is essentially a ritual that ascertains that you are not marrying under pressure or force."

The couple’s marriage began as a love story during Salim’s struggling days in Mumbai. She supported him through financial hardships and career uncertainty. After her marriage to Salim, Salma chose to keep her life low-profile. She shares four children, Salman Khan, Sohail Khan, Arbaaz Khan and Alvira Khan Agnihotri with her husband, Salim.

What are your thoughts on the relationship between Salim Khan and his first wife, Salma? Let us know.

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