'Gangworld links' to pressure actors and secure dates

By Our Special Correspondent

MUMBAI, DEC. 13. The Crime Branch of Mumbai Police today arrested Nazim Hassan Rizvi, producer of Chori Chori Chupke Chupke, for allegedly entering into a criminal conspiracy with the underworld gangster, Chhota Shakeel of Dawood Ibrahim's gang, to carry out attacks on film personalities.

The arrest shook Bollywood as the police top brass, which directly supervised the `swift operation', did not rule out more arrests which would expose the filmdom-underworld nexus.

Rizvi was arrested under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crimes Act, 1999, after a night-long search at his premises in Andheri. The sleuths found incriminating evidence of his connections. Police sources said that the producer was maintaining day-to-day contact with Shakeel, reporting the progress of Chori Chori Chupke Chupke, starring Salman Khan, Priety Zinta and Ranee Mukherjee.

The yet-to-be-released film was produced in record 60 days and many film personalities rescheduled their priorities to favour the producer. Rizvi used his nexus to pressure personalities for signing his film, secure dates from actors and arrange release of other films to suit his interests. Police believes that the film was Shakeel's venture and Rizvi and others worked for him. A well-known financier was roped in to cover the cash flow channels of the gang. Rizvi would be interrogated for unearthing the underworld connections of other film personalities, police said.

And this has shaken the filmdom. Bollywood's nexus with criminal gangs, particularly with Pakistan-based Dawood Ibrahim, became the talk of Mumbai after the gruesome murder of music producer Gulshan Kumar a few years ago, particularly after police traced the involvement of music director Nadeem who is now in England, facing extradition proceedings.

The film world had then vehemently denied the allegation that the underworld had virtually taken over Bollywood.

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