Suraj Has Become Quieter: Zarina Wahab

The 21 days Sooraj Pancholi spent in jail for allegedly abetting Jiah Khan’s suicide have taken a serious toll on him. Although the aspiring actor, who was released from jail on Tuesday (July 2), has support coming in from all quarters (including help from Salman Khan), his mother, Zarina Wahab, says the 22-year-old is a changed person. “Sooraj was always a quiet kid. And now, after what he has gone through, he has become even quieter. What can you expect after such a young boy goes though such an ordeal?” says Zarina, adding that Sooraj and his father, Aditya Pancholi, left for Hyderabad to meet Salman on July 5.

Salman, who is currently shooting for brother Sohail Khan’s Mental, is supposed to co-produce Sooraj’s debut venture — a remake of Hero (1983). “Aditya is acting in Mental, so he has gone to Hyderabad for the shoot. And Sooraj has accompanied him,” says Zarina, adding that the family is in no condition to even think about their son’s debut film at the moment. “I feel it’s too early to talk about anything. We aren’t even thinking about those things. Sooraj and my husband are in touch with Salman. So let him (Salman) only take the final call. Don’t forget that my son has just come back after spending  20-21 days in jail,” she says.

Salman, in all likelihood, will officially announce the remake at a press conference in a week. From now on, Sooraj’s career will reportedly be handled by the Dabangg (2010) actor’s business management company, Matrix, which also manages stars like Katrina Kaif and Madhuri Dixit.

Sooraj, who was arrested on June 10, was granted bail by the Bombay High Court on July 1. He has been ordered to pay a surety of  Rs. 50,000, surrender his passport and report to the police whenever required for investigations.