Between teaser and trailer of Dabangg 3, writer's name goes missing

Salman Khan

While Salman Khan has often taken on the added role of singer or choreographer in his films, he appears to have gone a step ahead in Dabangg 3. A look at the trailer indicates that he has been credited as one of the screenplay writers. What makes it interesting is that the mention of Dilip Shukla - whose resume includes the previous instalments of Dabangg - has been dropped from the credits.

A trade source reveals, "Dilip Shukla was duly credited for the screenplay, along with Prabhudeva and Alok Upadhyaya, in the motion teaser that released on September 11. However, when the trailer released a month later, Dilip's name had been replaced by that of Salman. The new screenplay billing read - Salman Khan, Prabhudeva and Alok Upadhyaya. His name was retained in the dialogue credits."

Dilip Shukla

Shukla, who is also credited with writing dialogues for Damini and Ghayal, is reluctant to give details about the change of credits. Probably wary of ruffling feathers, he chooses his words carefully: "I am way past feeling disappointed or upset. I have written the dialogues, Dhai kilo ka haath and Tareekh pe tareekh [Damini, 1993], yet I didn't get any award. If I wasn't honoured after doing such quality work, why would I get upset about my name getting dropped from credits?"

Arbaaz Khan

The veteran writer adds that it was Salman's idea of exploring two parallel tracks in Dabangg 3. "I share an old relationship, based on trust, with Salim sir [Khan, writer] and his sons. The idea of the prequel and story came from Salman. Many writers came on board for Dabangg 3 screenplay, and accordingly, the credits were shared. The screenplay is pretty much Salman's. I am still associated with the project."

The trailer of Dabangg 3 crediting Salman Khan as one of the screenplay writers; (top) the film's teaser bearing Dilip Shukla's name in the screenplay credit

When mid-day reached out to Arbaaz Khan, one of the producers of the film, he said, "Nobody is taking anybody's credit away. When Dabangg 3 was being made, the idea to make a prequel came from Salman. He wrote the synopsis on the basis of his vision, and then, got writers on board. He also monitored what was being written and took a lot of creative interest. Salman has done a lot more in the film, but has not taken credit for it." Probe him on why Shukla's name was mentioned in the teaser instead of Salman's, and Arbaaz attributes it to "digital misprint". "Such things happen sometimes. What is carried in the trailer is the correct credit. We informed Dilipji when we made the change. Our father Salim Khan is a writer. Why would we take another writer's credit?"

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