Overview
- Ram Gopal Varma said the 2001 film Chori Chori Chupke Chupke was connected to the underworld through producer Nazim Rizvi and Chhota Shakeel.
- Bharat Shah agreed to finance the project after Salman Khan confirmed his dates, and Varma said Shah learned of Rizvi’s alleged link only later.
- Varma recalled an extortion demand of Rs 5 crore that he said was cut to Rs 2 crore after a call to Shakeel, which led more industry figures to seek Shah’s help and drew police phone taps.
- In 2001, Mumbai Police arrested Shah and Rizvi; a court later gave Shah a one-year sentence for not disclosing the link, and sentenced Rizvi and partner Abdul Rahim Allahbaksh Khan to six years for underworld ties and extortion.
- Varma also cited producer Mukesh Duggal’s alleged ties to Dawood Ibrahim and Shakeel and noted Duggal was later found dead, underscoring how informal film financing intersected with criminal networks in that era.