Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has revisited the turbulent 1990s in Hindi cinema, when Mumbai's underworld exerted deep influence on the industry.
He spoke about how threats, overseas funding, and pressure around casting were often driven by crime syndicates led by figures like Dawood Ibrahim, and explained why prominent names such as Rakesh Roshan and Gulshan Kumar became targets.
RGV said the underworld's actions were not random but calculated, using fear as a tool to assert dominance by targeting influential figures.
He stressed that the motive went beyond money; it was about control and power. By intimidating major stars, they aimed to establish authority.
RGV connected this climate of fear to the shooting of Rakesh Roshan in January 2000, soon after the success of Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai.
He claimed that gangsters wanted control over Hrithik Roshan's dates for a film project, allegedly backed by Chhota Shakeel. When Rakesh resisted, violence followed.
RGV pointed to a mix of jealousy, power struggles, and defiance as reasons behind Gulshan Kumar's murder in 1997.
He suggested that figures like Abu Salem may have seen the act as a way to build their own reputation within the underworld.
RGV highlighted how, during the 1990s, the film industry was entangled with the underworld at multiple levels, from financing and casting to coercion.
