Dabangg director Abhinav Kashyap says Salman Khan is a 'gunda', calls Khan family vindictive: 'They control the whole process'

Abhinav Kashyap, the director of Salman Khan’s 2010 blockbuster Dabangg, has had a rocky history with the superstar and his family. After the film’s release, things soured when Abhinav refused to direct Dabangg 2, later accusing the Khans of derailing his career. Now, as Dabangg turns 15, the filmmaker has spoken up about Salman’s behaviour on set.

Salman Khan called a ‘gunda’

In an interview with SCREEN, Abhinav didn’t hold back, calling Salman a 'gunda'. He claimed the superstar isn’t really interested in acting and hasn’t been for the past 25 years, showing up more for the power of celebrity than the craft itself. Abhinav added that he didn’t know this side of Salman before Dabangg, describing him as ill-mannered and difficult to work with.

The Khan family and industry power

The director also claimed that the entire Khan family is all about industry power and can be vindictive. He said Salman is “the father of the star system” in Bollywood, coming from a family that’s been in films for over 50 years. According to him, if you don’t go along with them, they make life difficult.

Anurag Kashyap faced similar struggles

He also revealed that his brother Anurag faced a similar struggle while working on Tere Naam. Before Dabangg, Anurag had warned him that making a film with Salman wouldn’t be easy. He didn’t go into all the details, but he knew Abhinav would face pressure from what he called 'these vultures' in the industry.



Abhinav went on to say that Anurag eventually quit Tere Naam, even though he had written the script. He recalled how producer Boney Kapoor mistreated his brother and failed to give him proper credit. Abhinav added that he faced a very similar situation himself, stressing that a good film always starts with a strong script.