Dabangg director Abhinav Kashyap recently revealed it took a lot of convincing to get Arbaaz Khan‘s approval to cast his then wife Malaika Arora for the song ‘Munni Badnaam Hui’. He also shared that, despite their cool image, the Khan brothers come from a conservative Muslim family.
Concerns over outfits and labels
In a chat with SCREEN, the director revealed that Arbaaz was initially not comfortable with Malaika Arora doing the iconic item song. He didn’t want his wife to be called an ‘item girl.’ Abhinav also said that despite their cool image, Arbaaz and Salman come from a conservative Muslim family, and Malaika had her own disagreements with Salman over her outfits, as they preferred women to dress more modestly.Abhinav also mentioned that Malaika is a strong, independent woman who makes her own choices. She agreed to do the song, but it took some convincing for Arbaaz to approve. She assured him it was just a fun, family-friendly dance number—and it went on to become a massive hit.
Chosen for her dance skills
He added that he chose Malaika Arora for ‘Munni Badnaam Hui’ because of her amazing dancing skills. Already famous for hits like ‘Chaiyyaa Chaiyyaa’ and ‘Hoth Rasiley,’ Malaika hadn’t done many acting roles. Her dance talent and star power made her the perfect choice to carry the song and capture audience attention.Kashyap also revealed that he initially planned for Salman to appear only after the song ended, while Sonu Sood would have had more screen time. However, Salman insisted on joining the number, which led Abhinav to adjust the sequence, letting Salman appear earlier and slightly pushing Sonu to the background.
