Salman & Arbaaz Khan Didn’t Want Malaika Arora In Munni Badnam, Reveals Dabangg Director

More than a decade after 'Dabangg' took the box office by storm, director Abhinav Kashyap has made a surprising revelation about one of its most iconic moments — the song "Munni Badnam Hui" featuring Malaika Arora. Speaking in an interview with Screen, Kashyap shared that Salman Khan and Arbaaz Khan were both initially against Malaika performing the chartbuster.

“He didn’t like the fact that his wife will be labelled as an ‘item girl’. Arbaaz and Salman, no matter whatever they say, are actually very conservative Muslims,” Kashyap stated. “Malaika also had her own differences with Salman over her outfits. They want their women covered up. So, they didn’t want her to do the item song.”

Malaika Arora Took a Stand

Despite the opposition, Malaika Arora held her ground and insisted on doing the song. Kashyap explained that she played a key role in changing Arbaaz’s mind.

“But Malaika is a strong and independent woman, she makes her own choices. When she was offered this, she said yes. It took some persuasion for Arbaaz to agree. She told him that it’s nothing vulgar, just dancing only, and it’s all family around in the song, what are you scared of? And of course, that song went on to break so many records,” he said.

Salman Insisted on Joining the Song Later

The director also shared that Salman Khan had no initial plans to feature in the song. But once he saw the potential of the track, he wanted in — leading to a rework of the sequence.

“The team then restructured the song to include Salman alongside Sonu Sood and Malaika,” Kashyap added.

Dabangg’s Lasting Impact

Released in 2010, Dabangg not only turned into a blockbuster but also kickstarted Bollywood's cop universe. The film starred Salman Khan, Sonakshi Sinha, Arbaaz Khan, and Sonu Sood, with key appearances from Om Puri, Dimple Kapadia, Vinod Khanna, Mahesh Manjrekar, and Mahie Gill.

The film was produced by Malaika Arora and Arbaaz Khan under Arbaaz Khan Productions, and co-produced by Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision. It raked in over ₹215 crore globally on a ₹41 crore budget.

Arbaaz and Malaika, who married in 1998 and share a son, Arhaan, finalized their divorce in 2017. Arbaaz has since remarried, while the two continue to co-parent their child.

 

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