Bollywood superstar Salman Khan kicked off the promo shoot for Bigg Boss Season 20 in Mumbai on 5 September, ahead of the show's premiere on 6 September — and a tense moment with the paparazzi stole the spotlight before the cameras even rolled.

The Paparazzi Standoff

Video footage from the sets shows Salman posing for photographers while repeatedly asking them to maintain a proper distance from the stage. When the situation persisted, he told them plainly: 'Yeh mera kaam nahi hai. Mujhe camera ke aage aane ki koi zarurat nahi hai' ('This is not my job. I don't need to come in front of the camera').

Towards the end of the clip, as photographers continued pressing him for more poses, he responded with a visibly irritated tone, repeating: 'Photos… photos… photos.' What precisely triggered the outburst beyond the persistent requests is not entirely clear from the footage.

The Cowboy Look

Despite the friction, Salman turned up in full style for the shoot. He opted for a cowboy-inspired ensemble — a dark brown leather cowboy hat, a navy T-shirt, and an olive-green vest, paired with denims, a silver-accented belt, and his trademark turquoise bracelet. The look was widely noted on social media for its distinctiveness.

In a lighter moment, after his solo poses, Salman did oblige the paparazzi's request and posed alongside them, ending the session on a more cordial note.

Bigg Boss 20: What to Expect

Bigg Boss Season 20 marks the 20th edition of one of Hindi television's longest-running and highest-rated reality formats. Salman Khan returns as host — a role he has held since Season 4 in 2010, when he replaced Amitabh Bachchan at the helm. The show is scheduled to premiere on 6 September.

This is the 16th consecutive season with Salman as host, cementing his identity as the face of the franchise. His on-screen persona — equal parts charm and bluntness — has been a defining draw for the show's audience across more than a decade.

Salman and the Paparazzi: A Pattern

This is not the first time Salman Khan has had a visible moment of friction with photographers at a public appearance. Notably, Bollywood celebrities have increasingly flagged concerns about paparazzi boundaries on set — a tension that has grown as candid footage from shoots circulates rapidly on social media. The incident underscores a broader conversation in the industry about access, consent, and the informal norms governing celebrity-media interaction.

With Bigg Boss 20 set to premiere imminently, audience anticipation — and scrutiny of its host — will only intensify in the days ahead.