Amid Salman Khan sending a legal notice to the producers of Kala Hiran, a film allegedly based on his infamous 1998 blackbuck poaching case, his Wanted co-star Govind Namdev said he’s distancing himself from the film that he acted in, claiming that he was misled by the makers. The veteran actor added that he wouldn’t associate himself with a film that maligns the superstar.

Before Govind Namdev, another former co-star of Salman refused to associate himself with Kala Hiran, even walking out of the film after shooting for a couple of days. Sonu Mmishra, who starred alongside Salman in AR Murugadoss’ action thriller Sikandar last year, was offered to play the lead role in Kala Hiran, a character allegedly based on Salman, but he decided to distance himself from the controversial project.

“I was very excited for Kala Hiran. I got the opportunity to play superstar Salman Khan. I had started shooting as well. But when a narrative starts getting built, you realize what the intent of the film is. Being a vocational actor for the past 15-16 years, I wouldn’t like to be a part of such a film. No doubt they have a perspective, but if you depict superstar Salman Khan in a negative way, then I’d rather do other projects,” Mmishra said on the YouTube channel Bollywood Crazies.

However, he clarified that though he did shoot for Kala Hiran for a couple of days, he left the project before he could sign on the dotted line. “After two days of shoot, I asked them for the script. Being a lead actor, I asked them to share the script and clauses of the agreement. The makers also realized that they can’t control me. After a lot of delay, they showed me the contract, which stated that I had to talk against Salman to the media as well. So, these things are against my ethics,” added Mmishra.

Mmishra pointed out that it’s not only him, but also the makers of Kala Hiran themselves who’ve admitted the film is against Salman Khan. “The legal notice they’re tearing, it hasn’t even reached them directly. It’s just to create hype. It’s just made the makers famous. There’s nothing more to it,” argued Mmishra. He added that the legal notice was sent to the makers in April, but it was made a big deal of only in June.

Amit Jani, who has produced Kala Hiran, claimed last week that he’s received death threats for making the film. He even tore the legal notice in public and said, “This notice, what should I reply to it? For the past 36 hours, all his fans, from Dharavi to Jogeshwari, have sent 1,000 messages, including death threats, saying they’ll cut my head off if I come to Mumbai. So, whom should I answer? Should I respond to the thousands of abuses delivered through Salman Khan’s toolkit, to those threats, or should I answer this notice? This is my reply to that notice.”

Mmishra dismissed Kala Hiran makers’ claim that they made the film to tell the Bishnoi community’s side of the story. The community, based out of Rajasthan, was offended by Salman allegedly killing a blackbuck during the filming of his 1999 family drama, Sooraj Barjatya’s Hum Saath – Saath Hain. A case has been going on for years between the community and Salman in Jodhpur High Court.

“I’m also from Rajasthan. The Bishnoi community are decent and well-reputed people. Would they support such people whose propaganda is only to create hype for themselves? If you’re such a huge supporter of the Bishnoi community, then go plant trees in Rajasthan and help them financially. And if you really have to go against Salman, hire a good lawyer,” added Mmishra.

Mmishra claimed that even he’s getting legal threats from Kala Hiran makers, who have objected to him talking about walking out of the film. “They also objected to me posting the BTS (behind-the-scenes footage of the shoot) on social media. But if there’s no agreement in the first place, then how does it concern them if I post something on my social media or not? I kept insisting on an agreement for the longest time, but they didn’t relent,” said the actor.

Mmishra added that he didn’t walk out of Kala Hiran out of his fear of Salman Khan. Claiming it was the dream of a small-town boy to act alongside him in Sikandar, Mmishra said he left the project only out of respect for his senior. “I just have to play a character. If I’m offered a villain’s role, I’d do it. Those who’ve played terrorists in Dhurandhar aren’t terrorists in real life, right? But this was against my ethics. It could’ve been my career’s biggest project, but it’s okay, I’ll do some other work instead,” said the actor.

Govind Namdev, who starred alongside Salman in Prabhu Deva’s 2009 hit cop thriller Wanted, recently revealed that he’s distancing himself from Kala Hiran despite playing a lawyer of the Bishnoi community in the film. “As soon as I watched the teaser, I was shaken to the core. I instantly understood that the project is completely different from what I had shot for,” he told Amar Ujala.

“We were never told that a character resembling Salman Khan would be created and portrayed in this manner. The moment I saw the trailer, I felt I had been kept in the dark and used. There is a world of difference between what I was told and what has actually been made. What has come to light now has made me uncomfortable as well,” added the veteran actor.

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The teaser of Kala Hiran shows actor Kashif Iqbal Khan looking strikingly similar to Salman, even sporting his signature bracelet. The synopsis also confirms the likeness, stating, “This is not just a movie; it is a profound testament to the Bishnoi community’s unwavering vow and their core principles of wildlife protection, which set an unparalleled example of struggle for the entire world to see. Inspired by the infamous 1998 blackbuck poaching case in Kankani village, Jodhpur, this film is adapted from authentic literature that brought the truth of this incident to light.” However, the makers have maintained that the characters of Kala Hiran are fictional.