Salman and Shahrukh friends - again??

What's happening here? Shah Rukh and Salman are saying good things about each other. Is their feud, which provided such grist for gossip mills, losing steam?

With the release of his ambitious period film Veer around the corner, Salman Khan can very well be excused for not having the time, or maybe even the inclination, to indulge in social niceties for the moment. But just when you thought you’d figured him out, trust Salman to spring a surprise.

When he happened to see the promos of Shah Rukh’s next release My Name Is Khan, Salman liked them so much that he immediately called up Karan Johar to congratulate him.

Though his equation with Shah Rukh Khan is still strained, there’s a lot between the lines in this pat-on-the-back to SRK’s production. The first steps of a reconciliation? It appears so.

During a recent awards ceremony, Shah Rukh stepped up to praise Veer, saying that it was one of the films he was looking forward to seeing this year.

Says a source, “Salman was the first to extend the olive branch by calling Karan after watching the promos of My Name Is Khan and SRK returned it by praising Veer. They had both come face to face for the first time after the 3 Idiots premiere.”

And though Karan may be ranged in an opposing camp because of his proximity to SRK, the filmmaker admits that his own relations with Salman remain pleasant. “Yes, Salman did call to say he loved the promos and the look of the film. I appreciate the feedback. It was very gracious of him. I have worked Salman in my first film and have a great amount of respect for him and his family,” said Karan.

Whether or not it reaches back-slapping terms, it’s now evident that neither Shah Rukh nor Salman are averse to calling a dignified truce.

Seeing eye to eye:
Just a few weeks ago, December 24 to be exact, the warring Khans had crossed paths at the premiere of common friend Aamir Khan's film 3 Idiots. Unlike the last time the threesome had been together under the same roof (for Katrina Kaif's birthday), there was no exchange of words, hot or otherwise, between Shah Rukh and Salman. But they let their eyes do some talking and the 'conversation' ranged from surreptitious glances to almost hostile stares. In hindsight, the episode does seem to be the start of the thaw, even if by them just agreeing to be present where the other was

Wars and Peace:
SRK and Salman clashed for the first time during a Filmfare Awards ceremony (in which SRK picked up Best Actor for Kuch Kuch Hota Hai while Salman bagged the Best Supporting Actor award) after a comment made by Shah Rukh frayed tempers between them backstage

There was another major run-in when Salman stormed the sets of SRK's home production Chalte Chalte and allegedly assaulted his then girlfriend Aishwarya Rai. An angry SRK replaced Ash with Rani Mukerji

When Will Smith came to Mumbai, Salman threw a party for him at his house but the Hollywood star went to meet SRK the same evening. When Salman came to know where Will had gone, he went to Mannat and brought him back to his own party

The stars had a dramatic patch up at Farah Khan's wedding with Shirish Kunder in October 2005 after Salman went up and hugged SRK. There was much bonhomie between the two and the attendees celebrated it. It seemed a new beginning but the friendship, with so much history, didn’t last for long..

During Salman’s then girlfriend Katrina Kaif's birthday party in 2008, an off colour remark triggered a showdown that shook the industry and shocked their fans. With both, Salman and Shah Rukh, preferring to stick to their guns, they haven’t been on speaking terms ever since