Onkar Kulkarni (BOMBAY TIMES; June 17, 2020)

Sushant Singh Rajput’s death by suicide has triggered a major conversation in — and on — Bollywood. People from various sections of the film industry have come out on social media and spoken about Bollywood’s ‘insider-outsider’ theory. There are a few who have also highlighted the struggles they have faced in the industry to find acceptance as an outsider.

Yesterday, filmmaker Abhinav Kashyap, who has directed films like Dabangg (2010) and Besharam (2013), in a long social media post, lashed out at talent management agencies saying, “These people don’t make careers. They ruin your career and life.” In the post, he also blamed Salman Khan’s family for sabotaging various projects in his own career. He wrote, “So, here is my story 10 years after Dabangg. The reason I moved out of making Dabangg 2 ten years ago is because Arbaaz Khan in collusion with Sohail Khan and family was trying to take control of my career by bullying me. 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 Rupees 7 Crores plus interest of Ninety odd lacs. It’s only then that Reliance Entertainment came to my rescue and we forged an enduring partnership for my film Besharam… (sic).” He went on to claim that over the years, several of his other projects were also sabotaged and he was also given life threats.

He added, “My enemies are sharp, cunning and always attack me from the back and stay Hidden. But the best part is after 10 years, I know who my enemies are. Let it be known that they are Salim Khan, Salman Khan, Arbaaz Khan and Sohail Khan...Unfortunately, truth is on my side and I am not going to give up like Sushant Singh Rajput. I refuse to cow down and will fight on till I see the end of either them or me. Enough tolerance. It’s time to fight back.”

When we reached out to Arbaaz Khan, he sent us the links to some of Abhinav’s previous interviews with the media, and said, “Please do take time to watch the contradictions in his own words (referring to Abhinav’s past interviews). We have taken the legal course, and that’s all I have to say. Do watch his interviews. Do I need to say much?”

Talking to us, Salman Khan’s father Salim Khan said, “Ji haan, humne hi sab kharab kiya hai na. Aap pehle jaake unki filmein dekhiye, phir hum baat karte hai. Unhone mera naam daala hai na unki statement mein. Unhe shayad mere pitaji ka naam nahi pata. Unka naam hai Rashid Khan. Unhe hamaare dadaon aur pardadaon ke naam bhi daalne dijiye. Let him do whatever he wants, but we are not going to waste time reacting to what he says.”
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I THOUGHT IF AFTER DABANGG, I MAKE DABANGG 2 THEN I CANNOT GET OUT OF THIS DABANGG GENRE: ABHINAV IN 2013

It was a case of natural progression. I thought if after Dabangg, I make Dabangg 2 then I cannot get out of this Dabangg genre and I will have to make Dabangg 3 and I will have to make Dabangg 4. I will have to repeat myself over and over again. If I didn't do well then no one would give me a chance yeh keh ke ki isko toh sirf Dabangg aati hai. So, it was very important that I do something out of the box. Dabangg mein main rehta ya na rehta, Dabangg 2 banne wali thi. Arbaaz was very, very serious about making Dabangg 2, so I said don’t wait for me, just go ahead and make it. To an extent unko thoda jhatka laga ho, naraazgi hui ho, utna hi hua tha, par logon ne bahut badha chadha diya.

— Excerpt from a 2013 interview with trade analyst Komal Nahta

(Source: Zee ETC)