Bollywood and the underworld — together in the spotlight?

In this context, “the underworld” means Mumbai’s organized-crime networks, especially gangs that used threats, extortion and violence. These groups were deeply involved with Bollywood during the 1990s. They wanted money, influence and the glamour associated with films.

Gangsters such as Dawood Ibrahim, Abu Salem and Chhota Shakeel invested in movies. Their aim was not only entertainment. Film investments could help launder criminal profits and provide a seemingly legitimate income. Producers who resisted extortion or gang demands could face deadly consequences. Gulshan Kumar was killed in 1997, and filmmaker Rakesh Roshan was shot and wounded in 2000.

Police action and a tough organized-crime law weakened the gangs by the early 2000s. Today, the word is being used again because attacks and threats have targeted Bollywood figures. However, experts say the present danger is different from the older system, which exercised broader control over the industry.

Recent attacks have reached actors, relatives, filmmakers and businesses connected to Bollywood. Earlier this month, gunmen reportedly shot at actor Tiger Shroff in Mumbai, injuring his driver. The presumed attackers later claimed responsibility in an audio message, though police have not confirmed the gang’s involvement.

Since 2022, shots have been fired at Salman Khan’s apartment and filmmaker Rohit Shetty’s home in Mumbai. Actor Disha Patani’s family home in northern India was also targeted. Actor Ranveer Singh reportedly received an extortion demand for nearly $1.1 million, or about €980,000. The threats have also crossed national borders.

A cafe owned by comedian Kapil Sharma in Surrey, Canada, was hit three times. These incidents have revived memories of the 1990s, when organized crime was closely connected to Bollywood. Still, the article stresses that today’s network appears more dispersed and that police have not confirmed every claimed link.

Lawrence Bishnoi is a 33-year-old gangster from Punjab. He came from a landowning family and became involved in violent student politics while studying in Chandigarh. After imprisonment, he turned to crime and built a syndicate spanning several northern Indian states. He has been in prison since 2014.

Investigators say Bishnoi still directs operations from jail using concealed phones and messaging apps. His network allegedly recruits mostly poor young men online, offering money, protection and weapons. The group also has international reach. Canada designated it a terrorist entity in September 2025, while US prosecutors describe Goldy Brar as its alleged North American leader.

The suspected attackers targeting Tiger Shroff claimed links to Bishnoi and issued a warning involving Salman Khan. That claim is central to the alleged connection, but police have not confirmed the gang’s involvement. The network’s reported reach makes it a serious concern beyond Mumbai, even as evidence remains officially unconfirmed.

Salman Khan is a particular target because of an alleged 1998 blackbuck killing. The blackbuck is revered by Bishnoi’s community, which gives the case personal and symbolic importance for Lawrence Bishnoi. The article says Bishnoi vowed revenge after Khan was accused.

The threat has not been limited to the actor himself. Since 2022, gunmen have fired shots at Khan’s Mumbai apartment. The warning after the shooting at Tiger Shroff also specifically mentioned people who work with Salman Khan. The 2024 killing of politician Baba Siddique, described as someone close to Khan, is another example of the gang’s alleged focus on Khan’s associates.

These incidents suggest that the dispute has become a continuing campaign of intimidation around one celebrity. However, the article does not say that police have confirmed Bishnoi’s gang carried out every attack. The alleged motive is therefore widely discussed, but official confirmation remains limited.

During the 1990s, Mumbai’s criminal gangs were deeply entangled with Bollywood. Gangsters such as Dawood Ibrahim, Abu Salem and Chhota Shakeel were fascinated by the film industry. They saw movies as symbols of glamour and as businesses that could extend their influence. Their involvement was not merely social or cultural.

The gangs invested in films to launder profits and create a legitimate way to make money. They also used extortion and violence against people who resisted. Music executive Gulshan Kumar was killed in 1997. Filmmaker Rakesh Roshan was shot and wounded in 2000. In 1998, 101 businessmen were reportedly killed, mostly over unpaid extortion demands.

Mumbai police responded with electronic surveillance, preventive detention and the seizure of about 2,500 illegal weapons. A tough organized-crime law passed in 1999 strengthened the crackdown. By the early 2000s, the gangs’ hold over Bollywood had been broken, although recent attacks have revived old fears.

The older Mumbai underworld was closely embedded in Bollywood’s business structure. Gangs invested in films, pressured producers and used the industry to launder profits. Their goal was sustained control and a legitimate-looking source of income. Violence was part of that system when producers or businessmen refused to cooperate.

The Bishnoi gang’s reported model is different. Bishnoi is from Punjab, not Mumbai, and investigators say he directs operations from prison. The network allegedly recruits young shooters online and offers money, protection and weapons. Its operations stretch across several northern Indian states and beyond India, including North America.

That makes the current threat appear more networked and remote than the older local underworld. Recent attacks and extortion demands create fear, but the article does not describe Bishnoi’s group as controlling Bollywood’s film financing. Police also have not confirmed its involvement in the attacks, so the full scale of its influence remains uncertain.

When organized crime enters a film industry, creative and business decisions can be shaped by fear rather than professional judgment. Threats can force producers or actors to pay money, accept criminal backing or avoid particular relationships. The industry may also become a tool for laundering profits and creating influence that looks legitimate.

Mumbai’s 1990s experience shows the mechanism clearly. Gangsters invested in films and demanded extortion payments. Those who resisted could be attacked. Gulshan Kumar was killed in 1997, Rakesh Roshan was wounded in 2000, and former commissioner D. Sivanandhan said 101 businessmen were shot dead in 1998, mostly over unpaid demands.

The result was bloodshed, fear and a powerful police response. Electronic surveillance, preventive detention, weapons seizures and a 1999 law helped break the gangs’ hold by the early 2000s. Recent attacks have revived those fears, but the article does not establish that the current network controls Bollywood in the same way.