Gunmen opened fire at actor Tiger Shroff’s car in Juhu on Sunday (October 18), injuring his driver and another person. The Lawrence Bishnoi gang has claimed responsibility for the attack, although the police have not so far confirmed claim. The actor escaped unhurt.
New Delhi: From extortion calls in the 1990s to threats circulated online today, Mumbai’s film industry has faced underworld intimidation for decades.
Film producer Mukesh Duggal was shot dead in 1997 over a financing dispute. In January 2000, filmmaker Rakesh Roshan was shot at outside his Santa Cruz office shortly after the success of ‘ Kaho Naa… In 2001, Ajit Dewani, secretary to actor Manisha Koirala, was murdered in an attack over an extortion dispute. On February 1, 2026, armed men fired five rounds outside filmmaker Rohit Shetty’s Juhu home.
Reports from that period said the delegation warned that film production could move out of Mumbai if the state failed to protect the industry. Investigators said that the accused had done a recce of Shetty’s residence before the shooting and acted on the directions of alleged gang associates. The shooting brings back memories of the late 1990s and early 2000s, when gangsters targeted film producers, directors and music industry professionals over extortion demands and disputes involving the business. Recent attacks and threats involving Salman Khan and filmmaker Rohit Shetty have also raised fears for the safety of people working in the Bollywood. Three motorcycle-borne assailants opened fire at the car carrying Shroff after his football session. The actor escaped without injury, while his driver and a bystander sustained gunshot wounds. The injured were taken to hospital for treatment. That same year, filmmaker Rajiv Rai survived an assassination attempt outside his Tardeo office when his police bodyguard returned fire. Months later, T-Series founder Gulshan Kumar was gunned down outside a temple in Versova by hitmen associated with Abu Salem. The violence continued into the new millennium. Pyaar Hai ‘. The threat became serious enough for industry leaders to approach then-Mumbai Police Commissioner MN Singh. The firing caused no injuries. The Bishnoi gang claimed responsibility, and the subsequent police chargesheet alleged that the attack was carried out to establish the gang’s supremacy.
The attack took place on Sunday evening near Pushpa Park in Mumbai’s Juhu area. The violence haunting the industry today carries the echoes of the late 1990s and early 2000s, when criminal gangs led by underworld dons such as Dawood Ibrahim, Chhota Shakeel and Abu Salem targeted people across Mumbai’s film business.
