Mumbai, March 6 : Actor Salman Khan gave a heartfelt shout-out to veteran star Kabir Bedi, calling him the â??original Tiger of Indiaâ?? while reminiscing about the iconic 1976 television series Sandokan.

Salman took to his Instagram stories section to praise Kabir Bedi for creating history nearly five decades ago by becoming the first Indian actor to headline an international television show with â??Sandokan.â??

â??Sandokan Sandokan 50 years ago the first indian to do an international tv show, the forever handsome, enigmatic, the original Tiger, not only of Malaysia but of India,â?? Salman wrote on a video featuring Kabir, who was seen introducing the new â??Sandokanâ??, Turkish actor Can Yaman.

Salman also wished luck to Can Yaman, who will be stepping into the role in the upcoming adaptation of â??Sandokan.â?? He noted that the actor has big shoes to fill and expressed excitement about watching the new version.

â??My duaa that everyone looks as strong and conducts their emotional life as @kabirbedi. The new Sandokan @canyaman.... u have big shoes to fill in. Best of luck! I'm gonna watch it right now! I love u @ikabirbedi,â?? he wrote.

Sandokan is a 1976 Italian television series directed by Sergio Sollima, based upon the novels of Emilio Salgari featuring the pirate hero Sandokan. It was followed in 1977 by a feature-length spin-off film, and in 1996 by a sequel series named The Return of Sandokan, with Kabir Bedi reprising his role as Sandokan in both.

Sandokan is a fictional late 19th-century pirate created by Italian author Emilio Salgari. His adventures first appeared in publication in 1883. Sandokan is the hero of 11 adventure novels. Within the series, Sandokan is known throughout the South China Sea as the "Tiger of Malaya".

Talking about Salman, he will next be seen in â??Battle of Galwanâ?? based on the Galwan stand-off between India and its expansionist neighbour, China, on June 15, 2020, during the thick of the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in India.

The Indian and Chinese troops clashed in the Galwan Valley, eastern Ladakh. It was part of a larger border standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The clash turned violent when both sides attempted to patrol disputed areas, leading to hand-to-hand combat.

The fighting resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers, while China also suffered casualties. This was the deadliest Indiaâ??China face-off in over four decades, escalating tensions and prompting both nations to increase troop deployments and engage in diplomatic talks to avoid further conflict.

Directed by Apoorva Lakhia, the film is set to release on April 17.

/IANS