Salman Khan has been in a generous mood lately. On Monday night, he gifted his Bodyguard co-star Raj Babbar a Merc!

It was a belated birthday gift for the star politician after the shoot of the film wrapped up in Patiala. Babbar's birthday was on June 23.

Says a source, "Raj Babbar was taken by surprise. He was, in fact, shocked when he saw the vehicle."

The car is silver in colour and the number plate adds up to five the number Babbar prefers.

Sallu along with his sister Alvira and her hubby Atul Agnihotri (Bodyguard's producer) had been planning the surprise for the past fortnight.

When asked about Sallu's gesture, Raj Babbar's daughter Juhi says, "Yes, Bhai did gift dad a car."

The star MP had been roped in Bodyguard at the last minute to essay the role of Kareena Kapoor's father. He had replaced Shatrughan Sinha, who cited a busy schedule and opted out of the project.

Adds the source, "It was also, Sallu's way of showing his gratitude to Babbar, who had agreed to be part of the film at such short notice."

Interestingly, the Babbar-Khan friendship goes a long way. Babbar and Sallu's father Salim Khan have know each other for decades.

In November 2009, Salman had specially flown to Firozabad in Uttar Pradesh to campaign for Raj Babbar, who was contesting the parliamentary by-elections.