In the early 1990s, gangsters wielded considerable influence over the film industry, using threats, extortion and targeted killings to pressure producers, actors, financiers and distributors.
Former police commissioner M N Singh said underworld activity appeared to be resurfacing after nearly 22 years. D Sivanandan, former joint commissioner of police (crime), invoked the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against underworld funding of Bollywood during the production of the 2001 film Chori Chori Chupke Chupke. Investigators are examining possible links with the firing outside actor Salman Khan’s residence, the murder of NCP politician Baba Siddiqui, the shooting outside filmmaker Rohit Shetty’s residence and reported threats to actors Ranveer Singh and Aamir Khan.
“The gangs that once operated in the city had been virtually finished,,” he said. Singh said film personalities had historically been easy targets for gangsters seeking to establish their influence. In the early 1990s, gangsters wielded considerable influence over the film industry, using threats, extortion and targeted killings to pressure producers, actors, financiers and distributors. Among those targeted were producers Mukesh Duggal and Javed Siddiqui, filmmaker Rajiv Rai, director Rakesh Roshan, Manmohan Shetty and music producer Gulshan Kumar. Rival networks associated with Abu Salem, Chhota Shakeel and Chhota Rajan competed for influence. A crackdown on underworld financing helped change the equation. The government subsequently granted the film industry official industry status, enabling it to access formal bank financing. The firing incident involving actor Tiger Shroff has brought the trend into focus.