Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi

New Delhi, Oct 19: Filmmaker Abhinav Kashyap has once again stirred controversy by revealing new details about behind-the-scenes tensions on the sets of his 2010 blockbuster Dabangg. He alleged that actor Salman Khan’s interference during production led to conflicts with co-stars, including the late veteran actor Om Puri.

Speaking to Bollywood Thikana, Abhinav recounted a particular incident involving Om Puri, who was upset after Salman refused to perform a scene in which his character, Chulbul Pandey, was supposed to touch Om Puri’s feet. “Salman said, ‘I won’t touch his feet.’ The scene was rewritten several times, which angered Om Puri ji,” the filmmaker recalled.

According to Abhinav, Om Puri later confronted Salman, saying, “Allah has given you so much, why do you eat up everybody’s role?” To which Salman reportedly replied rudely, “Nahi karna, jao kuchh aur karo (If you don’t want to do it, then leave the film).”

Despite the heated exchange, Om Puri agreed to continue working on the project out of respect for Abhinav. “He told me, ‘Is this your first film?’ When I said yes, he agreed to do it for me,” the director said.

Abhinav further claimed that Salman’s interference extended to other cast members as well. He alleged that Arbaaz Khan’s entire role was cut and Mahie Gill’s screen time was drastically reduced. “The original runtime was 2 hours 45 minutes, but they made me shorten it. Salman had more issues with others’ roles than the length. Mahie was treated unfairly — her career was affected,” he said.

The director also revealed that Mahie Gill was originally offered the lead role of Rajjo, which later went to Sonakshi Sinha when Arbaaz Khan joined the film as producer. “Mahie didn’t question anything. She did what was offered and took whatever money was given to her. She deserved better,” he added.

Dabangg, which became a massive box-office hit, marked Sonakshi Sinha’s acting debut and cemented Salman Khan’s image as the larger-than-life cop Chulbul Pandey. However, the film’s production has long been marred by reports of creative conflicts between Abhinav Kashyap and the Khan family, with the director claiming that his creative freedom was repeatedly compromised.