You Won’t Believe That These Big Bollywood Stars Received Death Threats From The Underworld,

You Won’t Believe That These Big Bollywood Stars Received Death Threats From The Underworld

Bollywood, the vibrant, star-studded world of Indian cinema, is a place of dreams, glamour, and unimaginable success. Yet, behind the bright lights and blockbuster smiles, lies a darker, more terrifying history—a shadowy period where one wrong word could cost a celebrity their life. The link between the Mumbai underworld and the film industry is not just the plot of a gangster movie; it is a chilling reality that has targeted the biggest names in the business, from iconic superstars to top-tier filmmakers.

For decades, extortion, threats, and violence were a grim part of the price of fame. The stories of these chilling confrontations with powerful crime syndicates demonstrate the incredible pressure and fear that once permeated India’s movie capital.

The Murky History of Bollywood and the Mafia

The entanglement of the Mumbai underworld with Bollywood began to intensify in the 1990s. The film industry was seen as an easy and highly lucrative target for organized crime for several key reasons.

Why Bollywood Became a Target

• Easy Extortion: Film stars, producers, and directors were public figures with high-value assets and reputations, making them ideal targets for extortion. The mafia realized that a well-placed threat could yield a massive payoff, as the celebrities were keen to protect their lives and the millions of rupees invested in their projects.
• Unregulated Financing: Before corporatization and stricter financial oversight, film production was often financed through opaque, informal channels. The underworld, with its access to large amounts of “black money,” began to infiltrate the industry by providing financing, which came with a terrifying price: creative control, casting decisions, and a cut of the profits.
• A Power Play: By controlling elements of the film industry—a major cultural force in India—gangsters could gain not just money, but also notoriety and a perceived sense of power.

This era of fear transformed from simple threats to outright violence, leaving a profound scar on the industry’s history.

The Chilling Cases of Underworld Extortion and Violence

The scale of the threat was not limited to anonymous calls; it involved direct threats of assassination, attempted murders, and the tragic killing of one of the industry’s biggest music moguls.

The Assassination of Gulshan Kumar

One incident, in particular, shattered the illusion of safety for the entire film fraternity and underscored the ruthlessness of the underworld: The murder of T-Series founder Gulshan Kumar.

• The Incident: In August 1997, Kumar, known as the “Cassette King,” was shot in broad daylight outside a temple in Mumbai.
• The Motive: Reports suggested that Kumar had received extortion calls from the D-Company, the gang associated with Dawood Ibrahim, and had allegedly refused to pay the demanded sum.
• The Impact: His brutal killing, where he was reportedly shot 16 times, sent a massive wave of panic through Bollywood. It proved that the mafia’s threats were not hollow and that no one, regardless of their status, was safe from their reach.

Rakesh Roshan’s Near-Fatal Attack

Two years after Gulshan Kumar’s murder, the family of a rising superstar became the next target in a dramatic assassination attempt.

• The Context: Filmmaker Rakesh Roshan, the father of then-newcomer Hrithik Roshan, was shot at in January 2000, shortly after the release of his son’s debut blockbuster, Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai.
• The Confrontation: The attack was a direct consequence of Roshan’s refusal to give in to extortion and underworld pressure. The gangsters, allegedly linked to the Abu Salem gang, had demanded distribution rights for the film and later tried to force Hrithik Roshan to work in a film financed by them.
• Survival: Two assailants opened fire on him near his Santacruz office. One bullet hit his arm, while another grazed his chest. Rakesh Roshan remarkably drove himself to the police station and survived the attack, an act of sheer courage that signaled defiance against the mafia’s control. The attack led to both Hrithik and Rakesh Roshan receiving police protection.

The Reigning Superstars Who Live Under a Shadow

Even the most celebrated stars of today have found themselves in the crosshairs of modern-day gangsters and organised crime syndicates.

1. Salman Khan: The Persistent Target

Salman Khan has arguably faced the most frequent and ongoing threats from organized crime, leading to one of the most serious security concerns in the industry today.

• The Lawrence Bishnoi Saga: A significant portion of the modern threats against Khan stem from notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who has publicly and repeatedly vowed to kill the actor.
  • The animosity is allegedly tied to the 1998 blackbuck poaching case, as the Bishnoi community considers the blackbuck a sacred animal.
  • Khan’s security was upgraded to Y+ category following a series of threats and alarming incidents.
• Chilling Incidents:
  • In April 2024, two unidentified persons opened fire outside the actor’s residence in Bandra, an incident later linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
  • A WhatsApp message was sent to the Mumbai Traffic Police demanding ₹5 crore to “end the enmity” with Bishnoi, threatening that Khan’s fate would be worse than that of a recently assassinated political figure known to be close to the actor.
  • The gang reportedly deployed 60 to 70 operatives to monitor Khan’s movements, including his residence and farmhouse.
• The Response: The actor has since been advised to restrict his public movement and has increased his personal security detail dramatically.

2. Shah Rukh Khan: Refusing the Underworld’s Command

Bollywood’s King Khan also faced terrifying threats during his rise to superstardom, and the danger has resurfaced in recent times.

• The 1990s Extortion: In the 1990s, at the peak of his career, Shah Rukh Khan received direct threats from underworld don Abu Salem. The threats were a form of coercion, with the gangster allegedly trying to force him to work on a film project backed by his associates.
  • A former senior police officer had to personally inform the actor that Salem had him on his hit list.
  • SRK famously refused to buckle under the pressure, recalling that he told the gangster he was a Pathan and would not surrender.
• New Threats Post-Blockbusters: Decades later, the threats returned. Following the massive success of his recent films Pathaan and Jawan, Khan reported receiving new death threats and extortion demands, which prompted the Maharashtra government to grant him Y+ security cover.
• The Demands: In a November 2024 incident, a caller to the Bandra police station threatened the actor’s life, demanding a ransom of ₹50 lakh.

3. Akshay Kumar: The Gangster’s Warning

The ‘Khiladi’ of Bollywood was not exempt from the threats, finding himself targeted over a shockingly petty personal matter.

• The Extortion Call: In 2013, Akshay Kumar received death threats and extortion calls from fugitive gangster Ravi Pujari.
• The Unusual Context: The threat, which demanded ₹5 crore, was allegedly triggered after Kumar had dismissed one of his domestic helpers. The caller claimed the domestic help was their acquaintance and warned the actor that he had made a “huge mistake” by firing him.
• Security Measures: The repeated threats from Pujari led to an upgrade in the actor’s security cover by the Maharashtra government.

Other Notable Personalities Who Were Targeted

The fear extended beyond the lead actors and directors, touching a wide range of industry professionals.

• Preity Zinta: The popular actress revealed that she faced multiple intimidating calls and threats from the underworld during the shooting of the 2001 film Chori Chori Chupke Chupke. This film was later revealed to have been financed with money from the underworld, leading to the arrest of its producer and financier. Her brave testimony in court against the gangsters was a landmark moment for the industry.
• Mahesh Bhatt: The veteran filmmaker has been a recurrent target of threats. In one instance, in 2014, a plot to assassinate him, reportedly at the behest of gangster Ravi Pujari, was foiled by the Mumbai Police, who apprehended nine individuals involved in the conspiracy.
• Sanjay Dutt: Due to his controversial connections with figures associated with the underworld, particularly after the 1993 Mumbai blasts case, the actor has reportedly received threats from figures like Dawood Ibrahim and Abu Salem at different points in his career.

The Legacy of Fear and Resilience

The era of direct underworld control over Bollywood has largely faded due to stricter police action, the dismantling of major gangs, and the corporatization of film financing, which introduced accountability and legal money into the industry.

However, the recent, persistent threats against the likes of Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan suggest that the shadowy influence is not entirely gone. It has merely evolved, using modern technology and global networks to continue the campaign of extortion and intimidation.

These stories reveal a side of Bollywood that is anything but glamorous: a world where immense success can attract deadly danger, and where the biggest stars have had to demonstrate extraordinary courage to refuse demands, speak out, and ultimately, continue to pursue their art despite having a price on their head. The necessity for state-provided security for India’s biggest cinematic icons remains a stark and undeniable testament to the resilience of those who continue to live under the shadow of the underworld.