(IANS) So far we've heard horror stories of Salman Khan's misbehaviour with his leading ladies. But Kareena Kapoor has a different story to tell.

"Salman has always been very protective. He has been there for me whenever I needed him. That's partly to do with the fact that my sister Karisma is very close friends with Salman and also his favourite co-star," Kareena, who features with him in "Main Aurr Mrs Khanna", told IANS.

Just how caring Salman can be was proven to Kareena when they were shooting a romantic song on the Phi Phi Beach in Thailand for his home production "Main Aur Mrs Khanna", releasing Friday.

The beach is not sandy but pebbled. And Kareena had to go barefeet into the water with Salman. But before she could reach even halfway, she cut her foot badly on a sharp pebble.

"Kareena doubled up in pain and almost fell to the ground. Salman reflexively reached for her and swooped her into his arms. And he carried her to the water," said a source.

The shot has been retained, although it was never meant to be part of the film.

"Throughout the shooting you could see the special bonding that they had. But that day on Phi Phi Island it got really special," said film's director Prem Soni.

"We came much further into the land from the sea than we imagined. When it was time to go back, we realised we had to walk through the pebbled beach and wade into almost head-deep water before reaching our boat. We had to do it. Otherwise we'd have to spend the night on the beach without food or water.

"Kareena was in this long gown and barefoot. She was in pain. Before we knew it he swooped her into his arms and carried her into a boat. It was a very romantic-looking moment and we couldn't let it go," he added.