Gangsters of Bollywood
Mumbai gangsters have returned to targeting Bollywood celebrities in an effort to find a “new business model”, police in India's commercial capital say. A key aim of the threats to top stars is boosting the gangsters' credibility when trying to extort cash from less well-known -- but often wealthier -- targets.
In recent years local criminals have largely abandoned the nation's high-profile, high-octane film industry for less risky ventures in sectors such as real estate and finance.
But last month Mahesh Bhatt, a well known director, escaped a third attempt on his life by gunmen in the city hired by a gang leader living overseas.
Bhatt told the Times of India newspaper that “the film fraternity must stand shoulder to shoulder with Mumbai police and fight the menace of organised crime”.
“If we try and buy peace by giving in to their demands, we would be giving a blood transfusion to this monster which is taking its last gasp,” the director said.
Top Bollywood stars such as Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan, idolised by tens of millions in south Asia and beyond, are among those who have been threatened in recent months.
“The threats serve a purpose. The target is not the celebrity as such. The aim is to make other people think that if the extortionist is prepared to go after such high-profile people then they had better pay up and keep quiet,” a senior police officer dealing with crime in Mumbai said.
Investigators have intercepted communications indicating that gunmen have been told not to hurt top film stars but simply to scare them.
“When there was a serious attempt on one star's life, we were listening to the instructions to the gunmen and heard him being told: “This time, shoot this one properly,” the senior officer said.
Targets appear to have also been chosen to generate maximum attention. Anything involving top stars will be widely reported across India's raucous media, while Bhatt, the director, is known for speaking out on a range of issues, and particularly links between the film industry and criminals.
For many years Bollywood, which produces more than 350 films each year, generating an estimated $50bn-plus revenue, has been almost synonymous with the notorious gangs of Mumbai, a city of more than 20 million people.
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