'Salman Only Turns Up To Work As A Favour'

'Salman is not interested in acting.'

IMAGE: Salman Khan in Dabangg.

Dabangg Director Abhinav Kashyap recently slammed Salman Khan, holding him responsible for creating the star system in Bollywood.

'Salman is 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. I was not aware of this before Dabangg. Salman badtameez hai, ganda insaan hai,' Kashyap alleged in an interview to Screen magazine.

'Salman is responsible for creating the 'star system' in Bollywood, where actors from film families get special treatment. He comes from a film family that has been in the industry for 50 years, and he is continuing that system,' Kashyap lashed out.

'They are revengeful people who try to control everything. If you don't agree with them, they target you.'

Abhinav Kashyap had directed the first Dabangg film in 2010, which became a blockbuster.

Later, the director developed differences with Arbaaz Khan, who had produced the film.

After the differences, Kashyap stepped out as director of Dabangg 2 (2012), which was directed by Arbaaz.

IMAGE: Abhinav Kashyap, right, with Producers Sunil Bora and Arbaaz Khan. Photograph: The late Pradeep Bandekar/Rediff Archives

This is not the first time Kashyap is venting against Salman Khan and his family.

After Sushant Singh Rajput's death by suicide, Kashyap posted on Facebook how Salman Khan and his family had destroyed his film career.

'The reason I moved out of making Dabangg 2 10 years ago is because Arbaaz Khan, in collusion with Sohail Khan and family, was trying to take control of my career by bullying me,' Kashyap had posted then.

'Arbaaz Khan sabotaged my second project with Shree Ashtavinayak Films that I was signed up with by personally calling their head Mr Raj Mehta and threatening him with dire consequences if they made a film with me. I had to return the signing money to Shree Ashtavinayak films and moved to Viacom Pictures.'

'They did the same thing. Only this time the sabotager was Sohail Khan and he intimidated the then Viacom CEO Vikram Malhotra. My project was sabotaged and I was made to return my signing fee of Rs 7 crores plus interest of Ninety odd lacs. Its only then that Reliance Entertainment came to my rescue and we forged an enduring partnership for my film Besharam,' Kashyap claimed.

Besharam, starring Ranbir Kapoor and Pallavi Sharda, released in 2013 and flopped.

Continuing his tirade against the Khan family, Kashyap had stated then, 'Mr Salman Khan and family sabotaged the release of the film and got their PROs to run a sustained negative smear campaign against me and my film BESHARAM before release.'

'Over the next few years, all my projects and creative endeavors have been sabotaged and I have been repeatedly threatened with life and rape threats given to/for the female members of my family. The sustained gaslighting and bullying destroyed my mental health and that of my family and led to my divorce and breaking up of my family in 2017,' Kashyap posted.

'I know who my enemies are. Let it be known that they are Salim Khan, Salman Khan, Arbaaz Khan and Sohail Khan. There are many other small fry, but Salman Khan family is the head of this venomous serpent,' Kashyap added in his post.

Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff