Fifteen years after Dabangg introduced audiences to the iconic Chulbul Pandey and became one of Bollywood’s most celebrated blockbusters, director Abhinav Kashyap has spoken candidly about his strained relationship with Salman Khan and the Khan family.
In a new interview, Abhinav alleged that working with Salman was a bitter experience. Calling the superstar “a goon,” he claimed Salman has long lost interest in the craft of acting.
“Salman is never involved. He hasn’t been serious about acting for the last 25 years. He just shows up, does a favour by being there. What he really enjoys is the power of being a celebrity, not the craft of acting,” Abhinav said. “Salman is badtameez (ill-mannered), ganda insaan (a bad person). I didn’t know this before Dabangg.”
The filmmaker said his fallout with the Khans deepened after he refused to direct Dabangg 2. He alleged the family tried to sabotage his career:
“They are vindictive people. They want to control the industry. If you don’t agree with them, they come after you. Salman is the father of the star system in Bollywood.”
Abhinav also drew parallels with his brother, Anurag Kashyap’s experience on Tere Naam.
“Anurag wrote the script for Tere Naam. He was supposed to direct it, but Boney Kapoor misbehaved with him. He walked away without credit. The same thing happened with me on Dabangg. The foundation of a great film is always a strong script, but they don’t respect that,” he added.
