00:03In the 1990s, Bollywood lived under the shadow of the underworld, Dawood Ibrahim.
00:09Extortion calls, gang wars, bullets, producers were threatened, Gurshan Kumar was murdered,
00:16Rakesh Roshan survived a shooting.
00:18Decades later, Mumbai thought that era was behind it.
00:21But the firing at Tiger Shroff's car has brought back an uncomfortable question.
00:25Is Bollywood staring at a return of the Dawood era fear?
00:30This time under Lawrence Bishnoy's shadow.
00:33Lawrence Bishnoy has been in custody since 2015.
00:36Yet alleged associates continue to figure in investigations into threats and violent crimes.
00:42And that raises a critical question.
00:44How does a network allegedly continue to operate while its purported leader remains behind bars?
00:50I'll break down the network for you.
00:52The suspected model of functioning of the Bishnoy gang is that different people handle different parts of the operation.
00:58There are overseas-based associates who help coordinate activities.
01:03Local recruits are suspected of carrying out attacks.
01:06Intermediaries may help connect the two.
01:08Threats and social media claims can then amplify the impact far beyond the immediate target.
01:15Investigators have examined alleged links spanning India and other countries, including the role of overseas-based operatives.
01:23But the exact chain of command, financing and individual responsibilities must be established through evidence.
01:31A leader behind bars does not automatically mean an alleged network has been dismantled.
01:36And this is not the first high-profile case in which the Bishnoy gang's name has surfaced.
01:41Remember that on October 12th, 2024, former Maharashtra Minister Baba Siddiqui was shot dead in Mumbai.
01:47Siddiqui was a close friend of Salman Khan, who had already faced repeated threats attributed to the Bishnoy gang.
01:53A social media post attributed to the gang had claimed responsibility for that murder and warned those helping Salman.
02:00And it raised a disturbing question.
02:02Was that killing intended to send a message to Salman and those around him?
02:06Salman Khan is on Lawrence Bishnoy's target due to the 1998 Black Buck poaching case.
02:12So that's right.
02:13Decades on that case, the Bishnoy community considering Black Buck sacred and the allegation that Salman killed one
02:19has led to this open threat non-stop for years now.
02:25In fact, in 2024, April, gunmen opened fire outside Salman's residency in Mumbai as well.
02:32The conflict had moved from threats to gunfire.
02:35And with the Baba Siddiqui murder and then the Taigo Shroff attack now,
02:39the question was whether this alleged network is trying to extend that fear beyond Salman.
02:43The parallels with the 1990s are hard to ignore.
02:46Back then, Dawood's underworld used extortion and violence to intimidate parts of Bollywood.
02:51Today, the concern is that a different criminal network may be using threats,
02:55shootings and public claims of responsibility to project similar power.
03:00The two, however, aren't identical.
03:02Dawood's D company and Bishnoy's network emerged in different eras and operate in different circumstances.
03:09What's changed is the reach of criminal networks and the speed at which threats can spread across borders and social
03:15media.
03:16What's not changed is the purpose of intimidation.
03:20To make people have a fear, a fear of consequences, of refusing to comply.
03:26And Bishnoy's incarceration raises another question.
03:29If these associates can continue to operate, is arresting the gang leader enough?
03:34The challenge is to identify who plans these attacks, who finances them, who's carrying out the orders,
03:39and then dismantle the network.
03:42Bollywood has faced two very different underworld eras.
03:45And the Tiger Shroff Shroting has revived fears of the old days,
03:49when threats and bullets could dictate the industry's choices.
