'Conservative Muslims' Salman-Arbaaz didn't want Malaika to do 'Munni Badnaam...'
What's the story
Dabangg, the 2010 blockbuster that kickstarted Bollywood's cop universe, featured the chart-topping song Munni Badnaam Hui. However, in a recent interview with Screen, director Abhinav Kashyap revealed that actors-brothers Salman Khan and Arbaaz Khan were initially against model and dancer Malaika Arora doing the iconic number. Arora was married to Arbaaz at that point. He also shared how she eventually convinced them to go ahead with it.
Discomfort
'They want their women covered up'
Kashyap said, "He didn't like the fact that his wife will be labeled as an 'item girl.' Arbaaz and Salman, no matter whatever they say, are actually very conservative Muslims." "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."
Convincing
How Arora convinced them to go ahead with it
Despite the initial opposition, Kashyap said that Arora stood her ground. He added, "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."
Song evolution
Fun fact: Khan wasn't part of the song initially
Kashyap also revealed that Khan, who played the iconic Chulbul Pandey, wasn't part of the song initially but insisted on being included after realizing its potential. The team then reworked the sequence to feature him with Sonu Sood and Arora.
Film overview
Everything to know about 'Dabangg'
Released in 2010, Dabangg was produced by Arora and Arbaaz under their banner Arbaaz Khan Productions in association with Dhilin Mehta's Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision. The film starred Khan, Sonakshi Sinha, Arbaaz, and Sood in lead roles. It also featured Om Puri, Dimple Kapadia, Vinod Khanna, Anupam Kher, Mahesh Manjrekar, and Mahie Gill in pivotal roles. The film was a major box office hit, grossing ₹215 crore worldwide against a budget of ₹41 crore.