Salman Khan avoids Arjun Kapoor; paps rush to click Salman, leave Sunny Leone–Daniel Weber midway

It was a star-studded night at the launch of Variety India Magazine 2026, which was held on Sunday night. The cover page of Variety Magazine this month features stalwart Bollywood stars Ajay Devgn, Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar and Aamir Khan.

Bollywood stars Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, Aamir Khan, Ajay Devgn, Sunny Leone, Richa Chadha, Ali Fazal, among others, recently came together for the magazine launch. Several photos and videos have gone viral that show Salman Khan interacting with Akshay Kumar. Many clips also show Salman Khan waiting patiently for his turn during photo ops.

Another video that has gone viral shows Sunny Leone posing with her husband when Salman Khan arrived. The paparazzi reportedly left Sunny Leone and her husband Daniel Weber's photoshoot midway and ran towards Salman Khan to click his pictures.

Another set of pictures shows Akshay Kumar candidly conversing with Salman Khan.

Apart from Akshay, Salman and others, Arjun Kapoor was also present at the launch. However, Arjun and Salman avoided each other.

Here's why Arjun and Salman refrained from interacting with each other

For the unversed, Arjun Kapoor and Arpita Khan were allegedly in a serious relationship that lasted about two years before she ended it, prompting Arjun's major fitness transformation. They dated when he was 18. Arpita later married actor Aayush Sharma, while Arjun went on to date Malaika Arora.

This makes Arjun Kapoor Salman Khan's sister Arpita's ex-boyfriend, and also Salman's ex-bhabhi Malaika's ex-boyfriend. With such a complicated relationship, Salman seems to be avoiding Arjun.

For the event, Sunny Leone wore a plunging neckline maroon outfit, while Salman Khan opted for a leather jacket and denims. Akshay Kumar slayed in crisp formals. Twinkle Khanna also opted for a black ensemble.

As photos and videos went viral, many fans shared their views and expressed disappointment over Shah Rukh Khan's absence.

On February 1, Variety India released the first-ever cover of its magazine featuring Salman, Ajay, Akshay and Aamir. The cover described them as "Unshakable. The superheroes that broke the rules of stardom." The photo featured Akshay seated on a couch, while Salman, Aamir and Ajay stood behind him with their hands on each other's shoulders.

Work Front 

Salman Khan is gearing up for the release of his upcoming film, Battle of Galwan. Helmed by Apoorva Lakhia, the film also stars Chitrangada Singh and is scheduled to release in theatres on April 17. Akshay Kumar will next be seen in Priyadarshan's Bhooth Bangla, which also stars Wamiqa Gabbi and Paresh Rawal and is set for a May release.

Ajay Devgn will next appear in Drishyam 3. The film, which also stars Tabu, Shriya Saran and Jaideep Ahlawat, is directed by Abhishek Pathak and is scheduled to release in theatres on October 2. Aamir Khan, meanwhile, is awaiting the release of his upcoming production Ek Din, starring his son Junaid Khan and Sai Pallavi, which is slated to hit theatres on May 1.