Dabangg director Abhinav Kashyap calls Salman Khan a 'proven criminal': 'There are things that even I know'

Anurag Kashyap’s brother and filmmaker Abhinav Kashyap made a rock solid entry in Bollywood with his blockbuster directorial debut Dabangg, which featured Salman Khan and Sonakshi Sinha.

However, Abhinav didn’t have the positive experience of working with Salman and the director has been making multiple allegations against the actor and his family.

In a recent interview, Kashyap said that Salman had developed the image of being a ‘chhichhora’ and a ‘mawali’ because of his films Wanted and Tere Naam. The filmmaker went on to say that he approached Arbaaz Khan to play the male lead, who also showed interest, but he instead offer to produce the film later. Abhinav revealed that Arbaaz and Sohail Khan arranged his meeting with Salman Khan and even the casting of Sonakshi Sinha was done without his knowledge. “I wasn’t involved in the decision-making, I was told that decisions had been made,” Abhinav told Bollywood Thikana.

“Salman’s image at the time was that of a chhichhora, someone who would harass women on the streets. This was around 2008, when I’d signed the film. He’d done Tere Naam then. He had a very unflattering image, that of a crazed lover or a roadside Romeo. He also had that towel dance,” Kashyap shared.

“My opinion on Salman Khan and his family stands. They are not normal human beings. They are proven criminals. He’s out on bail. He’s a convicted criminal, out on bail. A criminal is a criminal. There are things that even I know,” the Besharam movie helmer said.

Earlier talking to Indian Express’ Screen, Abhinav had shared, “Salman has 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, 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).”