Nearly five decades after the television series Sandokan first aired, Bollywood actor Salman Khan has looked back at the legacy of veteran star Kabir Bedi and called him the “original Tiger of India”.

Posting on Instagram, the 60-year-old shared a video of the veteran actor introducing the new Sandokan, now played by Turkish actor Can Yaman. The original series, Sandokan, made Kabir Bedi a global name in the 1970s.

The Tiger actor wrote: “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.”

The Dabangg star also sent good wishes to Can Yaman, who is stepping into the role of the famous pirate hero created by Italian writer Emilio Salgari.

“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,” he wrote.

The original Sandokan, directed by Sergio Sollima, followed the adventures of a pirate known across the South China Sea as the “Tiger of Malaya”. The character first appeared in novels published in the 1880s.

On the work front, Salman Khan is preparing for his next film, Battle of Galwan, based on the 2020 clash in the Galwan Valley.