Dabangg director says Salman and Arbaaz didn’t want Malaika Arora in ‘Munni Badnam Hui’

Dabangg's iconic song Munni Badnam Hui is considered one of the most famous item songs in Bollywood. But it's journey to the silver screen wasn't without resistance. Dabangg director Abhinav Kashyap recently revealed that Salman Khan and Arbaaz Khan were both against casting Malaika Arora for the song. He shared how after multiple conversations he eventually convinced them.

Why Salman and Arbaaz Khan opposed Malaika Arora in Munni Badnaam Hui?

The director revealed in an interview that the brother's were concerned about Malaika's image. He said, “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. 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.”

Although, it all came down to Malaika's confidence which changed the course of their decision. According to Abhinav Kashyap, she was determined to take up the opportunity and convinced her then-husband Arbaaz Khan. The director recalled, “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.”

Also, interestingly the director revealed that Salman wasn't originally supposed to feature in the track. The director revealed that the sequence was later restructured after Salman insisted on being part of it. “The team then restructured the song to include Salman alongside Sonu Sood and Malaika," he shared.

Ultimately, Munni Badnaam Hui went on to become one of the biggest highlight of the film. It cemented Malaika Arora place as the ultimate performer which contributed to the film's massive success.

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