Harshaali Malhotra was all of five when she shot Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015). Her cherubic face and screen presence alongside Salman Khan helped her gain stardom overnight.

As the film clocks 10 years today, the 17-year-old tells us with a smile, “No matter how many movies I do, people will always call me and remember me as Munni. And I’m happy with that.”

As the actor prepares for her Telugu debut, her first shot for Bajrangi is still fresh in her memory: “It’s when Munni is stranded in Old Delhi and meets Salman sir’s character for the first time... I was a little nervous, but Kabir (Khan, director) sir and Salman sir made me feel so comfortable.”

She recalls how the sets became an acting school for her: “I’d keep asking Kabir sir how to act or what to do. And he’d explain everything to me... One day, I even fell sick while shooting, and Salman sir told me, ‘If an actor is sick, it should not come on their face’. I’ll always remember that.”

Fans still come up to her and gush about the emotional high of the film’s climax. “At times, I wonder how I did those scenes as a kid. But now, acting as a grown-up, I am confident that I can do it again!” she signs off.

Director Kabir Khan was recently asked about a sequel and he admitted to having “spoken about it”. “In today’s day and age, when all franchises are doing well, we are being careful about Bajrangi Bhaijaan 2. Salman and I are in complete agreement that we need to come across a story that’s as exciting as Bajrangi Bhaijaan,” he told Pinkvilla.

Ask Harshaali about it and she says, “If they call me, I’d definitely go for it!”