July 31, 2002	Wednesday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 20,1423

MUMBAI, July 30: Fear has once again gripped Bollywood after police revealed plans by the mafia to kill heartthrob film star Hrithik Roshan.

Police submitted audio tapes to a Mumbai court of a conversation reputed to have been held in Nov 2000 between popular film star Sanjay Dutt and underworld don Chota Shakeel, discussing a plan to kill Roshan.

The Mumbai-based movie industry has retreated into a shell after the release of the tapes, with many top actors, producers and directors seeking police protection and at the same time clamming up on the renewed menace of the mafia.

“Fear has definitely returned again despite the fact that the so-called plan to kill Roshan was hatched two years back,” said a well-known director.

He said the mafia had recently begun a new series of extortion attempts on numerous top stars, producers and directors.

“I am lucky not to have gotten those dreaded calls,” said the director, who turned out one of Bollywood’s major hits last year.

“But I am sure these calls have returned as many industry people are now seen moving with bodyguards. Well, you play with the devil, this is what you get,” he added.

The deputy chief minister of Maharashtra state, which includes Mumbai, Chagan Bhujbal, said police have been giving security to all those facing extortion threats, especially Bollywood figures.

“Earlier people were not coming forward and registering complaints that they have been facing threats from the mafia,” he said.

“But of late they have been doing this, and most of these who have been seeking security are from Bollywood,” he added.

Police confirm that the underworld’s grip has increased in the past couple of months, with most of the top industry personalities receiving threatening calls from gangsters belonging to outfits headed by Shakeel, Chota Rajan, Abu Salem and also from the Karachi-based Dawood Ibrahim.

Gangsters are known to have issued extortion threats to such film luminaries as legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan, superstar Shahrukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan’s producer-director father Rakesh, and actor Salman Khan.

Film actresses Urmila Matondkar, Juhi Chawla, Manisha Koirala and Sonali Bendre have also been targeted.

Bollywood has been known for its links with the underworld, especially after the arrest of Sanjay Dutt for his alleged role in a series of bomb blasts that killed more than 300 people in Mumbai in 1993.

The blasts were allegedly masterminded by Dawood Ibrahim. Dutt was jailed for over 18 months but later released on bail.

“The actual link of the mafia with the industry — and the fear it produced — really gripped the film world in 1997 when top producer Gulshan Kumar was shot dead in broad daylight by gangsters,” said producer-director Mahesh Bhatt.

“It was from then that the industry people got scared as they believed that not even the police could save them.”

Apart from Kumar, directors such as Rakesh Roshan and Rajiv Rai have also been shot at by gangsters, while top film financier Bharat Shah was arrested by the police for his links with the underworld.

Shah is one of the biggest financiers in the cash-starved industry, with “Devdas” (Pining Lover), India’s most expensive film ever, being his latest venture.

Mumbai police earlier this year gunned down gangsters planning to kill film star Aamir Khan and director Ashutosh Gowarikar, the team behind Oscar-nominated “Lagaan”.

Two weeks ago they killed four gangsters linked to a dreaded underworld don on their way to kidnap Bollywood star Manisha Koirala.

“All those who are indebted to the mafia are the main targets,” said a film critic.

“Bollywood is made of fake people. Imagine Sanjay Dutt discussing a plan to kill Roshan two years back and then the two working together in a movie last year. It’s really disgusting.”—AFP