‘Salman Khan should’ve paid me Rs 200 crore for writing Dabangg’: Abhinav Kashyap

Abhinav Kashyap then responded to Salman Khan’s claim that he hasn’t gotten any employment for years. “Why don’t you do some work first? Do a decent job, instead of only stealing other people’s work. Don’t give others gyaan (wisdom),” Abhinav said on the Bollywood Thikana podcast. He also bashed Salman for underpaying him as the writer-director of Dabangg.

“I’m the writer of Dabangg first, before being the director. Everything starts from the script. No one knows this better in the industry than Salman Khan. He’s Salim Khan’s son. Salim Khan has said proudly in some 25 interviews that he got paid more than Amitabh Bachchan,” argued Abhinav.

Salim Khan was one half of the iconic screenwriter duo Salim-Javed, the other half being veteran poet-lyricist Javed Akhtar. They have penned the scripts of seminal films like Zanjeer (1973), Deewaar (1975), and Sholay (1975) among others. In all these films, they were paid even more than the lead actor, Amitabh Bachchan, a force to reckon with in the 1970s.

“By that logic, if Salman got Rs 150 crore for Dabangg, then I should be paid Rs 200 crore, right? The writer decides who directs and produces the film. Arbaaz (Khan, Salman’s younger brother) begged me to let him produce the film. This film was always mine. Despite knowing that, these guys have tried to snatch it away from me,” claimed Abhinav, comparing the “idea-snatching” to a gold chain-snatching crime.

Dabangg marked the debut of Arbaaz Khan as a producer. However, after Abhinav Kashyap’s exit from the hit sequel Dabangg 2 (2012), Arbaaz also made his directorial debut with that film. “Who said they wanted me to be in the film? For all you know, they may want to take Steven Spielberg in the film? But the other party should say yes, right? So, when did I say yes? I’d said no. Then they begged to me again. Arbaaz planted several articles to defame me,” said Abhinav.

When Arbaaz met Abhinav at the satellite launch of Dabangg, he was concerned if Abhinav would demand the same fees from him as he’s doing from other production houses. Abhinav recalled Arbaaz made faces while asking if the former would charge more for Dabangg 2, but he said like earlier, he wouldn’t discuss money with Arbaaz.

“So then, they just assumed I’m doing Dabangg 2. Then they started putting pressure on me like they did during the first film to quit other projects. I’d signed a film with Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision, but the Khans said I can do it only after Dabangg 2. Arbaaz just wanted to get his script written quickly for free,” claimed Abhinav.

The director proposed that he can make his other film while Salman completes his pending projects like Anees Bazmee’s Ready (2011) and Siddique’s Bodyguard (2011). But Arbaaz claimed it takes one year to complete to complete the script. When Abhinav claimed he knows Dabangg inside out and can finish the sequel script in no time, Arbaaz challenged him to narrate the opening sequence on the spot. When Abhinav did so, he claimed Arbaaz was rolling on the floor laughing and claimed that’s exactly what he wants from the sequel.

“I just saw him with pity. Itna bada dhakkan mere hath laga hai (I’ve had to deal with such a big fool). That was when I began thinking how to leave this film. I’d have to make the same film all over again. That’s such a boring job! An actor just has to come on set and mouth the dialogues for 30-40 days. But I’d lose two years of my life,” said Abhinav, adding, “Neither they’d pay me any money or respect. Then why should I give them two years of my precious life?”

Also Read — Abhinav Kashyap claims Salman Khan rudely asked Om Puri to leave Dabangg: ‘Salman refused to touch his feet in scene…’

Eventually, Abhinav Kashyap left Dabangg 2 unceremoniously. While that film turned out to be a hit, Abhinav’s last film as a director — Ranbir Kapoor-starrer 2013 cop drama Besharam — was a massive flop. Abhinav relaunched his offensive against the Khan family on the 15-year anniversary of Dabangg earlier this year.