Bollywood’s perennial firebrand Rakhi Sawant has leapt into the long-running spat between superstar Salman Khan and filmmaker Abhinav Kashyap, branding the director dishonest and threatening to confront him in dramatic fashion. Speaking on the Hindi Rush podcast, Rakhi mounted a vigorous defence of Salman and didn’t hold back in her accusations against Abhinav.
Rakhi Sawant praises Salman Khan
Rakhi praised Salman effusively, crediting him with personal and professional support. She said, “Bhai, dharti pe devta hai wo. Mere liye bahut kiya hai, kaam dilwaya hai. Main market mein down ho gai thi, kaam dilwaya, Bigg Boss mein liya, meri maa ka cancer treatment mein help ki (He is like a god on this earth. He has done a lot for me. I was going through a tough time when he gave me work with Bigg Boss. He even helped me financially for my mother’s cancer treatment).”
Rakhi Sawant slams Abhinav Kashyap
Turning her ire on Abhinav, Rakhi went on the attack, using colourful language to dismiss the director and threaten physical retribution. She declared, “Ek kaan kajura hai … Woh takla Salman ke khilaf bahut bol raha hai aajkal. Tu jidhar bhi mila takle, tujhe chappal se maaroongi. Koi to Dabangg film mein director liya tha usko. Pata nahi kaun hai wo, hum to naam nahi lenge. Meri juban kharab nahi karoongi us takle ka naam lekar (There is one who is bad mouthing Salman these days. Wherever I find you, bald man, I’ll thrash you with a slipper. Someone once gave him a director’s job in a Dabangg film. I don’t even know who he is; I don’t want to take his name. I won’t ruin my tongue by saying that bald man’s name).”
Rakhi accused Abhinav of inappropriate conduct on set and of being ousted for misusing funds, suggesting there may be forces funding his campaign against Salman. She said he had begun “ladkibazi” (womanising) on set and implied that “Salman ke dushman” might be behind his recent media outbursts. Rakhi also criticized Abhinav for allegedly body-shaming Salman and spreading “ganda-ganda” lies about the superstar’s family, saying, “Abhi media mein aakar ganda-ganda bol raha hai, unke parivaar ke baare mein... jhooth bolta hai (Now he goes to the media and says disgusting things about Salman’s family… lies about them).”
Her anger culminated in a promise to confront Abhinav if the opportunity arose: “jahan milega, 10 ande marungi.” She also urged Salman not to be bothered by such attacks: “Bhai serious mat lo aise logun ko”.
Salman Khan and Abhinav Kashyap feud
The feud between Salman and Abhinav dates back years, with Abhinav alleging Salman took undue credit for Dabangg and accusing him of influencing industry outcomes. Abhinav has also revisited an old dispute involving Salman and Anurag Kashyap, claiming Salman made conditions difficult on the set of Tere Naam and later clashed with Anurag. In a podcast rant, Abhinav even suggested that Salman would eventually grovel for recognition: “Salman ki takdeer par likha hai, ab yeh humare hi talve chaatega... Ab yeh ghutnon pe aayenge, bheek bhi mangenge.”
Salman addressed some of Abhinav’s allegations during a recent Bigg Boss 19 Weekend Ka Vaar episode, expressing sadness at the self-destructive nature of the public back-and-forth. He said, “Mujhe baat buri sirf ek hee cheez lag rahi hai ki apne apne aap ko destroy kar diya. Agar kisike parivar ke peeche padhna hai toh khudke parivar ke peeche padho. Apne bhai ke peeche padho, usse pyar karlo, Maa Pita se pyar karlo, biwi bachho ka khayal rakh lo. Yeh toh least hai (The one thing that hurts me the most is that you are destroying yourself. If you want to get after someone, please go after your family or your brother (Anurag Kashyap). Or, love your brother, your parents, your wife. That’s the least you can do).”