Dabangg director Abhinav Kashyap says Salman Khan's family wanted ‘slave director’ for film's sequel: ‘They harassed me’

Abhinav Kashyap spoke at length about how the Khan family sidelined him "during the marketing of the film."

Filmmaker Abhinav Kashyap, who directed Dabangg (2010), has lamented how actor Salman Khan's family didn't share credit with him for the film but pushed him out of the project. Speaking with Screen, Abhinav talked about how things unfolded during Dabangg and its sequel, Dabangg 2. He added that Dabangg was "a landmark film in their career and they felt the need to take entire credit."

Abhinav Kashyap talks about Salman Khan family, Dabangg row

Dabangg director Abhinav Kashyap talked about Salman Khan and his family.

Abhinav Kashyap spoke at length about how the Khan family sidelined him "during the marketing of the film." "What happened to me after Dabangg, exactly the opposite happened to me after Besharam. I was pushed out of Dabangg, the credit wasn’t shared. I think it was a deliberate attempt by the Khan family to set up Arbaaz. Once I put the film together, they realised that they have a winning product on their hands. Then, everyone wanted the credit and I was pushed out during the marketing of the film," he said.

The film’s sequel Dabangg 2, which was released in 2012, was directed by Arbaaz. Abhinav said that he was happy to leave Dabangg 2, but "differences happened when they came after me, they harassed me, that’s why I stepped away". He added that the Khan family "wanted a slave kind of a director" and wanted him "to do what I was told to do."