Who is Abhinav Kashyap? Meet Anurag Kashyap’s brother and ‘Dabangg’ director going viral for his remarks on Salman Khan

Abhinav Kashyap, the director behind Salman Khan’s 2010 blockbuster 'Dabangg', has once again grabbed attention with his outspoken comments about the superstar. He recently called Salman a ‘gunda’ and criticised his family, reigniting a feud that has simmered for years.

From being a celebrated director to speaking openly about his fallout with one of Bollywood’s biggest stars, here is all you need to know about him.

Abhinav Kashyap’s early life

Abhinav is the younger brother of the well known filmmaker Anurag Kashyap. While Anurag gained fame for edgy films like 'Gangs of Wasseypur' and 'That Girl in Yellow Boots', Abhinav carved his own space with masala films like 'Dabangg'.

Abhinav’s early career as writer and director

As reported by IMDb, Before stepping into big world of Bollywood as a filmmaker, Abhinav spent over a decade working behind the scenes. He contributed as a writer to films like 'Jung' and 'Yuva', and penned dialogues for 'Manorama Six Feet Under' and '13B'. These experiences laid the foundation for his confident leap into directing. He also directed TV serials, including 'Darr' (1995), an episode of 'Ssshhhh Koi Hai' (2001), 'Siddhant', and 'Dil Kya Chahta Hai'. In addition, he appeared in films like 'Paanch', 'Yuva', and 'Wig'.

‘Dabangg’ made him a household name

Abhinav’s made his directorial debut with the hit film 'Dabangg'. He co-wrote the script with Dilip Shukla and brought the iconic Chulbul Pandey to life. The film introduced Sonakshi Sinha and revived the masala entertainer style, becoming the highest-grossing film of 2010. Overnight, Abhinav was one of Bollywood’s most talked-about directors.

Fallout followed after 'Dabangg 2' refusal

The success of 'Dabangg' was followed by tension. As per reports, Abhinav refused to direct 'Dabangg 2' and later accused Salman Khan and his family of sabotaging his career

Abhinav Kashyap calls Salman Khan a gunda

In an interview with SCREEN, Abhinav didn’t hold back. He said, “Salman is never involved. He is not even interested in acting, and he hasn’t been for the last 25 years. He does a favour by turning up to work. He is more into the power of being a celebrity, but he is not interested in acting. He is a gunda (goon). I was not aware of this before Dabangg. Salman badtameez hai, ganda insaan hai (Salman is ill-mannered, he is a bad person).”

Director criticises Salman Khan’s family influence

Abhinav also spoke about the influence of Salman’s family, “He (Salman Khan) is the father of the star system in Bollywood. He is from a film family which has been in the industry for 50 years. He continues the process. They are vindictive people. They control the whole process. If you don’t agree with them, they come after you.”