Mumbai: In a new interview with Bollywood Thikana, filmmaker Abhinav Kashyap, who made his directorial debut with the 2010 blockbuster Dabangg, has made a series of claims about the film’s casting and his experience working with the Khan family. Kashyap stated that Salman Khan was not the initial choice for the iconic role of Chulbul Pandey and that he was “insecure” about casting Sonu Sood as the villain.
According to Kashyap, his first choice for the lead role was Randeep Hooda, whom he envisioned as a tough, rugged character. However, when he pitched the film to producer Arbaaz Khan and his brother Sohail Khan, the idea was quickly shot down. Kashyap recalled Sohail’s reaction, who said, “No, yaar, Randeep Hooda ka kya market hai, kaun paise lagayega, koi bada hero soch” (He doesn’t have a big enough market, who would invest in him, think of a big hero).
Kashyap then suggested big names like Sanjay Dutt, Sunny Deol, and Salman Khan, noting that Salman had a “chichora image” (a rowdy image) at the time. He stated that the Khan brothers immediately latched onto Salman’s name and offered to produce the film if he liked the script. Kashyap was then signed on after a brief narration with Salman on the sets of the film Veer and was given a signing amount of ₹10 lakhs. He also revealed that the casting of Sonakshi Sinha was a decision made by the Khan family, though he was happy with her performance.
Kashyap also made a revealing claim about the casting of the film’s antagonist. He suggested his old friend Sonu Sood for the role, believing he would be a physically imposing foil to Salman. However, he alleged that Salman was “very insecure” because of Sonu Sood’s physique and was hesitant to cast him. Kashyap credited actress Katrina Kaif, who was close to Salman at the time, with helping to convince him to go with Sonu Sood.
These new revelations come amidst a long-standing public feud between Abhinav Kashyap and the Khan family. In 2020, the director had accused Salman and his brothers of sabotaging his career. The success of the film led to the creation of a franchise, with sequels Dabangg 2 and Dabangg 3 directed by Arbaaz Khan and Prabhu Deva, respectively, after Kashyap was not brought back for subsequent films.