Home / Crime and Justice / Bollywood Underworld's New Game: Fear and Supremacy
Bollywood Underworld's New Game: Fear and Supremacy
20 Oct
Summary
- Underworld tactics shifted from extortion to projecting gang power.
- Historical targets included producers, directors, and music producers.
- Recent incidents involve celebrities, politicians, and influential people.
The nature of underworld involvement with Bollywood has reportedly shifted, moving beyond past extortion tactics to a new strategy focused on projecting gang supremacy and spreading fear. High-profile shootings and threats now increasingly target celebrities, politicians, and other influential individuals, aiming to assert dominance.
In the early 1990s, gangsters exerted significant control over the film industry through threats and killings, impacting producers, actors, and financiers. Notable victims then included Mukesh Duggal and Gulshan Kumar. Today, investigations into recent shootings are linked to younger recruits allegedly sourced from various Indian states.
Former officials note a resurgence of underworld activity after a nearly two-decade lull. A previous crackdown on financing, notably using the MCOCA act against underworld funding for the 2001 film 'Chori Chori Chupke Chupke,' and granting the film industry official status helped shift dynamics toward formal financing.
The current pattern is highlighted by incidents involving actor Tiger Shroff, and investigations are exploring connections to events like the firing outside Salman Khan's residence and the murder of NCP politician Baba Siddiqui. Motives for some incidents, such as the reported targeting of Salman Khan over a 1998 blackbuck case, are being examined.
Investigators suspect that relatively inexperienced shooters are being employed for these attacks. The use of social media to claim responsibility is seen as a tactic to amplify the impact and reach of these threats.
