{"id":613150,"date":"2026-04-17T15:17:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T15:17:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/613150\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T15:17:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T15:17:14","slug":"ram-gopal-varma-kill-one-extort-ten-ram-gopal-varma-reveals-the-chilling-mafia-logic-targeting-rakesh-roshan-and-gulshan-kumar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/613150\/","title":{"rendered":"Ram Gopal Varma: \u2018Kill one, extort ten\u2019: Ram Gopal Varma reveals the chilling mafia logic targeting Rakesh Roshan and Gulshan Kumar |"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\u2018KillRam Gopal Varma revisits the 1990s, when Mumbai\u2019s underworld controlled Bollywood through fear, extortion, and casting pressure. He explains why Rakesh Roshan and Gulshan Kumar were targeted, links it to real attacks and killings, and reveals how gangsters used cinema to boost their image while stars were summoned to Dubai at their behest. Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma<\/a> has gone back to one of Bollywood’s toughest times: the 1990s, when the Hindi film world was controlled by Mumbai’s gangsters. This was when threats for money, funding from abroad, and pressure on casting came from crime groups run by people like Dawood Ibrahim<\/a>. Varma explained why big names like Rakesh Roshan and Gulshan Kumar were attacked.<\/p>\n

Ram Gopal Varma on how gangsters used fear instead of chaos<\/p>\n

During a discussion with crime author Hussain Zaidi on his YouTube channel, Varma clarified that the gangsters didn’t resort to aimless attacks; instead, they employed targeted fear tactics. \u201cWhen the underworld wants to show its power, how does it do that? By targeting big names\u2014Rakesh Roshan, Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan<\/a>,\u201d he said, noting that these criminals often viewed themselves as heroic, oversized personalities. <\/p>\n

Watch<\/p>\n

Kangana Ranaut reacts to Ram Gopal Varma\u2019s \u2018Dhurandhar 2\u2019 post; pens heartfelt note on his legacy <\/p>\n

Ram Gopal Varma explains control, not just cash<\/p>\n

Varma said it wasn’t just about money, it was about being the boss. \u201cTo become a \u2018hero\u2019, they need to overpower someone bigger. These are big stars, you can\u2019t just get Hrithik Roshan\u2019s dates. So they create fear. The idea is: if the star refuses, what will happen to him?\u201d. He noted the uncertainty about the real culprits behind the threats whether Chhota Shakeel, Dawood Ibrahim’s gang, or someone else. \u201cMany people were not giving in to gangsters\u2019 demands, so they had to set an example\u2014\u2018Look what happened to him, it can happen to you too.\u2019 There\u2019s a saying in the underworld: \u2018Kill one, extort money from ten.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Ram Gopal Varma links the terror to Rakesh Roshan\u2019s shooting<\/p>\n

He tied this atmosphere of terror straight to Rakesh Roshan’s shooting in January 2000, just after \u2018Kaho Naa\u2026 Pyaar Hai\u2019 became a hit. \u201cThey wanted Hrithik Roshan\u2019s dates. The plan was to make a film together, there would be a front name, but Chhota Shakeel would control things from behind. Rakesh Roshan resisted that, and that\u2019s why shots were fired,\u201d Varma claimed.<\/p>\n

The January 2000 attack on Rakesh Roshan<\/p>\n

On January 21, 2000, gunmen shot at Rakesh Roshan outside his office in what most believe was underworld retaliation. He pulled through. Reflecting on the gangsters’ push for Hrithik’s filming dates, Rakesh shared in a 2025 Bollywood Hungama interview: \u201cI never gave any indication that Hrithik could do a film for them. I kept putting them off saying Hrithik had no dates, which in any case, was the truth. They then asked me to take dates away from other producers and give it to them. This again, I refused to do.\u201d He called that period \u201cfull of fear.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ram Gopal Varma on the motives behind Gulshan Kumar\u2019s killing<\/p>\n

On Gulshan Kumar’s murder in August 1997, Varma highlighted a mix of triggers coming together. \u201cAt one point, Gulshan Kumar was extremely successful, people were jealous. He was introducing new talent and making money,\u201d he said, explaining how blame often fell on him unfairly. \u201cIf anything went wrong, the first reaction was \u2018Gulshan Kumar must have done something.\u2019 That was the mindset. Some people would meet Abu Salem and, out of jealousy, say things about Gulshan Kumar. Influenced by that, he might have thought that killing him would make him a \u2018hero\u2019. I\u2019m not justifying it, but that was one reason.\u201d He cited unpaid extortion threats and Kumar’s defiance too. \u201cHe was not someone who would get scared. A man of his stature wouldn\u2019t be intimidated by a phone call.\u201d Varma also emphasized Abu Salem’s goal to break free from D-Company and build his own name. \u201cHe saw this as his \u2018film\u2019, his big move. After Gulshan Kumar was killed, Abu Salem became more famous than even Dawood Ibrahim for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ram Gopal Varma\u2019s memory of the Gulshan Kumar murder day<\/p>\n

Varma remembered the murder day, August 12, 1997, saying, \u201cI was at Jhamu Sugandh\u2019s house when he got the call. He was shaken and immediately left for Gulshan Kumar\u2019s home.\u201d The filmmaker, known for portraying Mumbai’s gangland in movies like Satya, Company, and D, has long pulled inspiration from these true stories.<\/p>\n

Ram Gopal Varma on Bollywood\u2019s deep ties to the Mumbai underworld<\/p>\n

In the 1990s, Bollywood was caught up with Mumbai gangsters on every level\u2014from shakedown calls to rumored control over casting and money flows. An air of silent fear hung over the industry. D. Sivanandhan, Mumbai’s Joint CP (Crime) from 1998-2001, stated in his 2025 book that movies such as Satya, Company, Daddy, Shootout at Wadala, and Shootout at Lokhandwala aimed to \u201clift the image of the gangsters and were all funded and financed by them only.\u201d Snaps from that decade captured Hindi film stars alongside mafia leaders in the Middle East.<\/p>\n

D. Sivanandhan on star summonses to Dubai<\/p>\n

In his ANI interview, D. Sivanandhan revealed that top stars got ordered to Dubai with no real option to refuse. \u201cDawood Ibrahim could summon cinema actresses to Dubai and give them rewards and send them back.\u201d He further described how actors headed there to perform at shows demanded by the mafia bosses.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ram Gopal Varma revisits the 1990s, when Mumbai\u2019s underworld controlled Bollywood through fear, extortion, and casting pressure. He…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":613151,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[64,63,247646,134,14560,297701,344,104375,7146],"class_list":{"0":"post-613150","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-movies","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-dawood-ibrahim","11":"tag-entertainment","12":"tag-hrithik-roshan","13":"tag-jhamu-sugandh","14":"tag-movies","15":"tag-ram-gopal-varma","16":"tag-shah-rukh-khan"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/613150","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=613150"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/613150\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/613151"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=613150"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=613150"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=613150"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}