Dabangg director calls Salman Khan ‘badtameez’ and ‘ganda insaan’, alleges Khan family sabotaged careers

Filmmaker Abhinav Kashyap, best known for directing Dabangg (2010), has once again levelled strong allegations against Salman Khan and his family. In a recent interview, he described the superstar as “badtameez” and “ganda insaan,” claiming that the Khan family holds vindictive influence in the Hindi film industry.

Abhinav’s debut with Dabangg became a blockbuster, cementing Salman Khan’s character Chulbul Pandey as a cultural icon. However, the director never collaborated with him again. Over the years, Abhinav has repeatedly stated that the Khans derailed his career. Speaking to Indian Express Screen, he alleged, “Salman is never involved. He is not even interested in acting, and he hasn’t been since the last 25 years. He does a favour by turning up to work. He is more into the power of being a celebrity. He is a gunda. Salman badtameez hai, ganda insaan hai.”

The filmmaker extended his criticism to Salman’s family, alleging that they operate with control and retaliation. “Salman is the father of the star system in Bollywood. He is from a film family which has been in the industry since 50 years. They are vindictive people. They control the whole process. If you don’t agree with them, they come after you,” he said.

Abhinav also pointed to an earlier incident involving his brother, Anurag Kashyap, who was initially attached to Tere Naam. According to him, Anurag had warned him about potential difficulties in working with Salman. “Anurag told me before Dabangg that you won’t be able to make a film with Salman. He just didn’t tell in great detail why. He knew these vultures. He wrote Tere Naam, but Boney Kapoor misbehaved, and Anurag left. They didn’t give him credit also,” Abhinav claimed.

Following Dabangg, Abhinav directed Besharam (2013), starring Ranbir Kapoor alongside Rishi and Neetu Kapoor. The film performed poorly at the box office, and the director has not returned since. Meanwhile, the franchise continued without him, with Dabangg 2 directed by Arbaaz Khan in 2012 and Dabangg 3 helmed by Prabhu Deva in 2019.

Abhinav’s remarks add to a long-running history of tension between him and the Khan family, reviving debate about power dynamics in Bollywood.