Mumbai: Shah Rukh Khan’s journey in Bollywood coincided with a period when the alleged influence of Mumbai’s underworld over the film industry was a major concern.
Filmmaker Sanjay Gupta has now recalled how the superstar allegedly responded to threats, claiming that Shah Rukh refused to bow to pressure and instead told his alleged intimidators, “Just shoot me.”
Speaking on the Hussain Zaidi Files podcast, Sanjay recalled that Shah Rukh’s firm stance eventually earned him the respect of those who had threatened him.
“The only guy in the film industry, Shah Rukh Khan, when he was threatened, he said, ‘I will never do the film or show, I am a Pathaan, just shoot me if you want’. I am not scared of you, but I will not work with you and not do shows for you. He actually earned their respect. They also must have felt that there’s at least one person…” Sanjay said.
Despite refusing to give in to the alleged threats, Shah Rukh’s stand came with significant security concerns. The actor was reportedly provided with heavy security and police protection for three years following the incidents.
Shah Rukh had also spoken about the threats during an old interview with comedian and actor Ruby Wax. During the conversation, he opened up about the alleged pressure faced by actors to take on certain film projects.
“They would set up a system, and they would say you do it. I may not have succumbed to it, but then they shoot you. So, sometimes it’s nice to do a film,” he said.
Wax then asked, “You’re seriously saying someone calls you and says be in my film or I’ll blow your head off?”
Shah Rukh nodded and responded, “Not as nicely as you’re saying it.”
When asked if he had personally received death threats, Shah Rukh confirmed that he had faced such threats on multiple occasions.
“Oh yes, on many occasions… I had a lot of security for three years,” he said.
In her book King of Bollywood: Shah Rukh Khan and the Seductive World of Indian Cinema, film critic Anupama Chopra also detailed Shah Rukh Khan’s alleged encounters with Mumbai’s underworld. Her account included references to gangsters such as Abu Salem, Chhota Rajan and Chhota Shakeel.
Chopra wrote that concerns over Shah Rukh’s safety grew in 1997, when the actor was shooting for Mahesh Bhatt’s Duplicate. According to her account, senior Maharashtra police officer Rakesh Maria, who had been involved in the investigation into the 1993 Mumbai blasts, alerted Bhatt about a potential threat to the actor. Shah Rukh was subsequently provided with a personal bodyguard.
Chopra also recounted an alleged phone conversation between Shah Rukh and Abu Salem. According to her account, Salem verbally abused the actor after Shah Rukh refused to work in a film backed by a producer who was reportedly close to the gangster.
According to Chopra’s account, Shah Rukh was “depressed and scared” by the situation, but remained calm and composed during the conversation.
When Salem continued to pressure him to take on a particular project, the actor reportedly stood his ground and told him, “I don’t tell you who to shoot so don’t tell me which film to do.”
Shah Rukh’s alleged encounters with the underworld have also been discussed in other accounts of the period. Karan Johar, in his memoir An Unsuitable Boy, recalled an incident involving threats made around the release of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.
According to Karan’s account, Shah Rukh reacted defiantly when he was informed about the threat. “Shah Rukh said, ‘What nonsense!’ He went inside and dragged me out. He said, ‘I’m standing here in front of you. Let’s see who shoots you. I’m standing right here,’” he wrote.
Karan also recalled Shah Rukh reassuring his mother, telling her, “I’m a Pathan. Nothing can happen to me and nothing will happen to your son. He’s like my brother. Nothing’s gonna happen.”
The alleged links between Bollywood and the Mumbai underworld had gained considerable attention during the late 1980s and 1990s, with filmmakers and actors reportedly facing threats, extortion demands and alleged interference in film financing and casting.
The murder of music baron Gulshan Kumar in 1997 and the 2001 Chori Chori Chupke Chupke case further brought the alleged nexus between the film industry and the underworld into the spotlight. Producer Bharat Shah and filmmaker Nazim Rizvi were arrested in connection with the latter case over alleged links to gangster Chhota Shakeel.