From Haji Mastan’s ‘Deewaar’ to Lawrence Bishnoi’s threats: How Mumbai’s underworld entered Bollywood

The attack on Tiger Shroff recalls Bollywood’s long history with Mumbai’s underworld.

New Delhi: The gunshots targeting actor Tiger Shroff in Juhu proved that Bollywood’s worst nightmare is far from over. The industry lived in the shadow of underworld bosses like Haji Mastan, Dawood Ibrahim and Abu Salem for decades. Now that the Lawrence Bishnoi gang is taking aim at stars, the film industry is forced to ask whether a new cartel has taken over the old playbook.

Three motorcycle-borne assailants opened fire at Shroff’s car on Sunday (October 18) evening. The actor escaped without serious injury, while his driver and another person were injured. An audio message claiming responsibility for the attack later appeared on social media. The purported attackers claimed to be associated with the Bishnoi gang. The Mumbai Police are investigating the case and is trying to establish the claims made in the audio.

The purported threat also named Salman Khan and warned people in the film industry against working with him.

The episode brings back memories of an era when gangland bosses ran Bollywood and squeezed money from actors and producers while dictating who got cast, who got paid and who got targeted.

The history stretches back decades. Its early chapters involved social contact and film financing. By the late 1980s and 1990s, extortion, threats and targeted attacks had become a major problem for parts of the Hindi film industry.

Haji Mastan’s Bollywood circle

Haji Mastan was among Mumbai’s most prominent underworld dons during the 1960s and 1970s. His smuggling network dealt in gold, silver and electronic goods across Mumbai’s ports and commercial districts. He also built a reputation as a well-connected businessman and socialite.

He moved in Bollywood circles and invested in films. His association with the industry helped blur the line between celebrity culture and the criminal economy. Popular culture immortalised that era on the silver screen. Characters like Amitabh Bachchan’s Vijay in ‘Deewaar’ and Ajay Devgn’s Sultan Mirza in ‘Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai’ both borrowed from the shadowy allure of Haji Mastan.

The connection between him and Deewaar is part of the film’s popular backstory, although the character belongs to a fictional narrative conceived by writers Salim-Javed. The film’s story was also influenced by earlier Hindi cinema, including ‘Gunga Jumna’ and ‘Mother India’.

Beyond the glamorous parties and public appearances, criminal networks built a real foothold in the Bollywood. Because movie funding was largely private and off the books, individuals with massive cash reserves held immense power. Without safe institutional loans, vulnerable producers were routinely forced into the arms of underworld lenders.

Dawood Ibrahim and the extortion era

Dawood Ibrahim emerged from Mumbai’s criminal underworld and went on to build the network known as D-Company. A violent gang rivalry following the 1981 killing of his brother Shabir fuelled the conflict that drove his rise. He later shifted his base overseas and became one of the most wanted fugitives in India.

Through the 1980s and 1990s, the underworld tightened its grip on Bollywood. Shakedowns, forced rights transfers and targeted threats against non-compliant stars became routine. Syndicate bosses poured dirty money directly into movie budgets and effectively seized control over casting lineups and box-office distribution.

Contemporary investigative reports detailed how gangsters who had once socialised with film actors and financed productions had increasingly turned to extortion.

ALSO READ: Tiger Shroff attack: New gangs, same old fear – is Bollywood reliving its underworld era?

The underworld’s influence turned lethal as a string of high-profile attacks on industry stars left a trail of blood across Mumbai. The August 1997 murder of music giant Gulshan Kumar and the killing of producer Mukesh Duggal exposed the terrifying stakes. After filmmaker Rajiv Rai escaped an assassination attempt, Rakesh Roshan was shot outside his office in January 2000 following ‘Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai’. Survival was no longer guaranteed, whether you were a top director, a veteran producer or a leading star.

Everything changed after the 1993 Mumbai serial bombings. The alleged involvement of Dawood and his top lieutenants forced law enforcement to strike back with relentless force. As syndicate networks crumbled under police pressure, Bollywood seized the opportunity to professionalise by replacing backroom cash deals with formal corporate financing.

How film financing changed the equation

Many Indian filmmakers, for years, struggled to secure bank loans. Film production involved high costs, uncertain returns and accounting practices that lenders often found difficult to assess. Private financiers filled much of the need, and some charged steep interest rates.

In 1998, the government granted the film sector industry status to create a route towards institutional finance. The move was aimed at helping producers access banks and financial institutions through more formal procedures.

The change did not end organised crime’s involvement overnight. However, it was part of a larger transformation in film financing as corporate studios, established production houses and formal distribution networks got a stronger foothold. The old system of personal relationships between gangsters and movie stars lost some of its influence.

How Lawrence Bishnoi targeted Salman Khan

The attack on Shroff follows a series of threats against Salman Khan. In April 2024, gunmen fired outside Khan’s Bandra residence. In October that year, former Maharashtra Minister Baba Siddique was murdered in Mumbai. A social media post claiming responsibility for his killing referred to his association with Khan.

The Bishnoi gang has claimed responsibility for several incidents and issued threats against people associated with the actor.

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