Bollywood director Abhinav Singh Kashyap took to Facebook to share an elaborate post on the 'bigger malaise' in the industry, adding that Sushant Singh's death brings under the scanner the role of YRF talent management agency.
Sharing his own experience, he wrote on how Salman Khan's brothers Arbaaz Khan and Sohail Khan destroyed his career after he directed Dabangg in 2010. “The sustained gaslighting and bullying destroyed my mental health and that of my family and led to my divorce and breaking up of my family in 2017,” he wrote.
He wrote: “My experience is no different. I have experienced exploitation and bullying first hand.”
He further wrote: "So here is my story 10 years after Dabangg. The reason I moved out of making Dabangg 2 ten years ago is because Arbaaz Khan in collusion with Sohail Khan and family was trying to take control of my career by bullying me. Arbaaz Khan sabotaged my second project with Shree Ashtavinayak Films that I was signed up with by personally calling their head Mr. Raj Mehta and threatening him with dire consequences if they made a film with me. I had to return the signing money to Shree Ashtavinayak films and moved to Viacom Pictures. They did the same thing. Only this time the sabotager was Sohail Khan and he intimidated the then Viacom CEO Vikram Malhotra. My project was sabotaged and I was made to return my signing fee of Rupees 7 Crores plus interest of Ninety odd lacs. Its only then that Reliance Entertainment came to my rescue and we forged an enduring partnership for my film Besharam (sic).”
“Mr. Salman Khan and family sabotaged the release of the film and got their PROs to run a sustained negative smear campaign against me and my film BESHARAM before release. This scared the distributors from buying my film. Reliance Entertainment and I were capable and courageous enough to release the film ourselves but the battle had just begun. My enemies, which there were many ran a sustained negative Trolling and badmouthing campaign against the film till the Box Office of my film collapsed. But to their horror, Besharam had still netted 58 crores before it went out of theaters,” he added.
Kashyap said that the constant bullying has destroyed his mental health and also led to his divorce. “Over the next few years, all my projects and creative endeavours have been sabotaged and I have been repeatedly threatened with life and rape threats given to/for the female members of my family. The sustained gaslighting and bullying destroyed my mental health and that of my family and led to my divorce and breaking up of my family in 2017,” he wrote.
Kashyap's note comes after Sushant Singh Rajput died of suicide on Sunday. He called out talent management agencies and said that they don't make careers, but 'ruin your career and life'.
“I know who my enemies are. Let it be known that they are Salim Khan, Salman Khan, Arbaaz Khan and Sohail Khan. There are many other small fry’s but Salman Khan family is the head of this venomous serpant. They use a clever mix of their ill-gotten money, political clout and connections with the underworld to intimidate anyone and everyone (sic),” he said.
He added: “Sushant Singh Rajput has moved on and I hope he is happier wherever he is but I will make sure that no more innocent will kill himself over lack of work with dignity in Bollywood.”
