In Bollywood, friendships can turn into rivalries faster than a Friday box office result. The latest reminder comes from filmmaker Abhinav Kashyap, the man who gave the industry one of its most iconic films, ‘Dabangg’. Recently, he made headlines again, but not for a new project. Instead, it was for his war of words against superstar Salman Khan, whom he openly called “a gunda and a badtameez insaan.”
For many, this clash might seem surprising, considering ‘Dabangg’ (2010) was a blockbuster that made Salman’s “Chulbul Pandey” a household name and Sonakshi Sinha an overnight star.
But the director and the actor parted ways soon after, and since then, their relationship has been nothing short of bitter.
The tension between Abhinav and the Khan family isn’t new. Back in 2020, when actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death shocked the nation, Kashyap came forward with strong accusations. He alleged that Salman Khan, along with his brothers Arbaaz and Sohail and their father Salim Khan, had tried to sabotage his career.
He described feeling bullied and pushed out of opportunities.
The Khan family, however, didn’t take it lightly. Arbaaz Khan mentioned that they had initiated legal action against Kashyap. Salim Khan dismissed the claims sarcastically, saying Abhinav should have blamed even his ancestors if he was in the mood to accuse.
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Abhinav Kashyap’s cinema journey began much before ‘Dabangg’. In 2000, he was part of the writing team for the film ‘Jung’. He was an assistant to Mani Ratnam during ‘Yuva’ (2004).
Then he went on to write dialogues for thrillers like ‘Manorama Six Feet Under’ (2007) and ’13B’ (2009).
But his big leap came when he stepped into the director’s chair with ‘Dabangg’.
While ‘Dabangg’ soared, Kashyap’s second outing, ‘Besharam’ (2013), starring Ranbir Kapoor and Pallavi Sharda, failed to impress. Both critics and audiences dismissed it, and the film flopped badly.
Interestingly, Kashyap has also dabbled in smaller projects. He worked as a boom operator for a short film titled ‘The Photograph’ in 2012.
Abhinav is not the only filmmaker in his family. He is the younger brother of acclaimed director Anurag Kashyap and Anubhuti Kashyap.