Bollywood’s Dabangg Khan led the entire unit of his film Bajrangi Bhaijan to village Hatluni in Maharashtrat late last month to paint the houses and distribute sarees to village women. It appeared as a surprise visit for everyone, including Kareena Kapoor, director Kabir Khan and composer Himesh Reshammiya.

The unit was helped by a some of the professional painters, and the 30-member group managed to paint every house, the village library, and even the water tank, in less than five hours.

Salman Khan made the day by gifting sarees to the village women, and engaging the kids in a game of football.

The houses, mostly made of mud and wood and with thatched or tin roofs, are all now brightly coloured in pinks and blues. One of the houses even got a painting done by Salman as a wall-hanging.

The idea to paint the village struck Salman when he was stationed at ND Studios, Karjat, flitting between two films, Prem Ratan Dhan Paayo and Bajrangi Bhaijaan. Just outside the studio gates, a few lanes away, is the village of Hatluni, which the actor would pass on his way to and from work.

It is believed that many of the villagers are part-time workers at the studio, and Salman knows them well. One of the more creative artistes from the crew had drawn a blue Ganesha on a piece of wood lying around. Spotting it, Salman decided to nail it on one of the freshly painted walls.