Abhinav Kashyap

Abhinav Singh Kashyap (born 6 September 1974) is an Indian actor, film director and screenwriter, who directed and co-wrote Dabangg and has worked on several other films in different creative roles.

Early life and education Kashyap was born on 6 September 1974 in a Gaharwar Rajput family in Obra, Uttar Pradesh where his father worked for the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation.

He did his primary schooling at the Hillgrange Preparatory School in Dehradun. He is an alumnus of the Scindia School, Gwalior, and completed his graduation in English (Hons) from Hansraj College, University of Delhi in 1995.

He is the younger brother of director Anurag Kashyap.

Career In 2000, he was involved in writing the script of the film Jung. He worked as an assistant to film maker Mani Ratnam for the film Yuva (2004). He also wrote dialogue for the films Manorama Six Feet Under (2007) and 13B (2009). He made his debut as a director in the 2010 action film Dabangg, which he also co-wrote, along with Dilip Shukla. Bollywood actor Salman Khan and debutant actress Sonakshi Sinha played the lead roles in the film. Dabangg was released on 10 September 2010. His second film Besharam was released on 2 October 2013. Ranbir Kapoor and Pallavi Sharda played the lead roles in the film. It was a critical and commercial failure. He also worked as a boom operator in 2012 short film named The Photograph.

Controversy Allegations against Salman Khan and his family On 15 June 2020, Kashyap released a statement on Facebook on the suicide of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, appealing the Maharashtra government to launch a detailed investigation. He accused Salman Khan, his brothers Arbaaz and Sohail and father Salim of sabotaging his career and bullying him. In response, Arbaaz said that the Khan family has started legal action against Kashyap. When Salim was asked to react to these claims, and he sarcastically said that of course they have ruined his career. Salim said watch his films first and then come to speak to him. Salim further said that Abhinav probably forgot to take his father, Rashid Khan's name along with his forefathers. Salim concluded by saying that Abhinav can do whatever he wants and that he's not going to waste time reacting to these accusations.

In 2025, Kashyap reignited his long-standing dispute with Salman Khan, making several public allegations against him. He described Khan as a goon, ill-mannered, and a bad person, accusing him of being disinterested in acting and merely relying on his celebrity stature. Kashyap also claimed that Khan and his family behave vindictively towards those who disagree with them and asserted that he was sidelined from marketing and credit for the film Dabangg, including being pushed out of its sequel, Dabangg 2. He further alleged that Khan felt insecure about co-star Sonu Sood's physique during Dabangg, and that other casting decisions (e.g., initially proposing Randeep Hooda) were overruled by Khan's family.

Personal life Kashyap was married to Chatura Rao from 1997 to 2017, they have two daughters.

In 2015, there were rumours of Kashyap being involved with actress Simran Suri.

Filmography Films Year Title Director Screenwriter Actor Role(s) Notes 2000 Jung 2003 Paanch Salam 2004 Yuva Trilok Also 2007 Manorama Six Feet Under 2009 13B Also dubbing supervisor 2010 Dabangg 2011 Osthe story credits; remake of Dabangg 2012 Photograph Boom operator only 2013 Besharam 2016 The Hatted Room Short film; editor only 2018 Forsake Short film; cinematographer only 2019 Wig Customer Short film; also production designer 2025 Nikita Roy Creative consultant only

Television

+As director only Year Title Notes 1995 Darr Unknown episodes 2001 Ssshhhh...Koi Hai Episode: "Mumkin" 2004-2005 Siddhant 2005 Dil Kya Chahta Hai 2007 Shakira: The End of Evil