Cops tighten Bollywood’s security blanket

Cops tighten Bollywood’s security blanket
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

December 18: Taking evasive action following the constant threat from the underworld, the city police are reviewing security arrangements provided to Bollywood personalities in the wake of the arrest of Chori Chori Chupke Chupke producer Nazim Rizvi on December 13. Some have even been provided armed escorts.

According to police records, 35 film personalities have receieved threats from the underworld this year, against 28 last year and 32 in 1998.

The move to step up security at this juncture is an attempt to take the heat off Bollywood and thereby encourage film personalities to approach the police with complaints, police sources say.

Actors, directors, producers and others have always fought shy of registering formal complaints for fear of reprisal from the underwoeld. However, with Rizvi’s blatant confession to links with underworld don Chhota Shakeel, the police is hoping that actors will take no chances.

Police records show that the security of the following persons is being reviewed: Shah Rukh Khan, Govinda, film financier Ramesh Taurani, producer J P Dutta, film financer Bharat Shah, Subhash Ghai, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Yash Johar, Karan Johar, Yash Chopra, Aditya Chopra and Raj Sippy. Actress Manisha Koirala was also provided with security after members of the Abu Salem gang opened fire on her car at Four Bunglows, Andheri, in 1998.

Police sources disclose that while some actors have been threatened for various reasons by Chhota Shakeel, other were targeted by rival Chhota Rajan and Abu Salem. In most cases, the sums demanded in return for ‘‘protection’’ ranged between Rs 3 lakh and Rs 50 lakh.

In some instances, Shakeel has been using the regional card to threaten his victims. A case in point is Nazim Rizvi, who according to Shakeel, has portrayed the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence in a poor light.

However, despite the security, prominent film personalities like Mukash Duggal and audio cassette producer Gulshan Kumar were shot dead by the Shakeel and Salem gangs. Producers Director Rakesh Roshan and Rajiv Rai were lucky to survive similar attacks.

Actors-turned-politicians like Raj Babbar, Rajesh Khanna and Shatrughan Sinha too been given security. Superstar Amitabh Bachchan is also under tight security cover.