Dharmendra says Salman Khan was inspired from his film Pratiggya for Dabangg character Chulbul Pandey

Dharmendra revealed that Salman Khan had been inspired by one of his characters from a 1975 film for Dabangg (2010). On Twitter, the veteran actor responded to a fan and shared that Salman had told him that he based Chulbul Pandey from his film Pratiggya. Dharmendra played a police officer who avenges his parents’ death in the film. Also starring Hema Malini and Ajit, the film also featured many comedic moments. It is also known for its hit song Main Jat Yamla Pagla Deewana, which is often identified with Dharmendra. (Also read: Salman Khan wishes bodyguard Shera on birthday, ex Sangeeta Bijlani joins him)

Last week, Dharmendra had shared a short clip of himself and Hema from Pratiggya. He captioned it, “Dosto, kuchh bhi kar jaata hoon (Friends, I do just about anything) …Haha.” In it, Hema’s character’s Radha is praising his shooting skills. A fan on Twitter replied, “Love this film. I think Dabangg is maybe inspired by this film.”

Replying to the fan on Twitter, Dharmendra wrote, “Yes dear, even Salman told me that he was very much inspired by that character of mine. Friends, it happens I wanted to play Dalip Sahab’s role (Devdas and Salim in Mughal e Aazim ) Following Dreams is everyone’s dream.” The fan added, “Thank you for confirming this I really felt that the Dabangg character was inspired by your character. Love you Dharam ji.”

In Dabangg, directed by Abhinav Kashyap, Chulbul is a morally ambiguous character also known as ‘Robin Hood’ Pandey. In the 1975, Dharmendra’s character is on the run from the law and pretends to be a police officer in a remote village. The film had a mix of action sequences and slapstick comedy, and Dabangg also follows the same formula.

The success of Dabangg led to two sequels, Dabangg 2 (2012) and Dabangg 3 (2019). The song Main Jat Yamla Pagla Deewana inspired the Yamla Pagla Deewana film franchise which starred Dharmendra and his sons, actors Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol.

The 87-year-old actor will next be seen in Karan Johar’s family entertainer Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani in July 2023. The film also stars Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Jaya Bachchan and Shabana Azmi. He also has a significant role in the untitled romantic comedy starring Shahid Kapoor and Kriti Sanon, directed by Amit Joshi.