An old photo of Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan holding a baby has resurfaced on Reddit, and the internet has done what it does best, turned a seemingly innocent throwback into an elaborate Bollywood conspiracy.

A post on Reddit's r/bollywoodcirclejerk showed a picture of the former couple sitting together while holding a baby, accompanied by the tongue-in-cheek claim that Salman and Aishwarya had supposedly "donated" their child after their relationship ended. The post turned into a comedy thread, with users adding increasingly absurd theories to explain the mystery baby.

The subreddit itself describes its content as a place to make fun of Bollywood-related discussions and social-media theories, making the context of the post important. There is no evidence that Salman and Aishwarya had a child together.

So, who is the baby?

That question became the running joke in the comments. One Reddit user claimed, "Can confirm. Bigg Boss actually started as a secret nationwide television mission for Salman to track down this exact child."

Another simply pointed out the wording of the original post, writing, "Lol… and OP said 'donated their child'." The joke then snowballed, with different commenters hilariously claiming to be the mysterious child themselves.

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Some users even tried to identify the baby. One suggested the child could be Sharmin, referring to filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali's niece, while another commenter eventually explained that the image was from the sets of ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’ and that the baby was likely connected to the film's production.

The comments only became more chaotic from there. One user joked that the baby was actually Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, while another claimed, "I'm that child." Others joked about Salman being pregnant, becoming a surrogate, and even suggested that the supposed baby was actually Wamiqa Gabbi.

One commenter who appeared confused by the post asked for the backstory, prompting another Redditor to explain that the entire thing was simply people joking around with an old picture.

Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai's real relationship remains a subject of discussion

While the Reddit theory is entirely unserious, Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai's relationship has been discussed publicly for years because of the difficult circumstances surrounding their breakup.

In January 2026, producer Shailendra Singh spoke about the former couple in an interview with Siddharth Kannan. Recalling Aishwarya's relationship with Salman, Singh described it as a ‘violent love story’, while also calling Salman passionate and Aishwarya dignified’ and respectful.

Singh also recalled an incident involving Aishwarya wearing dark glasses at an award show. He referred to reports about Salman visiting her residence and said he was aware of the events surrounding their relationship, although he also stressed that Aishwarya was a private person and that her privacy should be respected.

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Importantly, Singh's comments do not support the Reddit theory about a child. The two stories are entirely separate.

The episode leaves behind a larger question about how easily old relationships can become fodder for new narratives. When celebrities have long moved on, should unsourced claims and speculation about their personal lives simply be dismissed as internet humour or does repeatedly reviving such stories cross the line from freedom of expression into another form of targeting?