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Bollywood is once again concerned about the film industry’s links to the criminal underworld. Following a shooting targeting actor Tiger Shroff, police arrested 10 suspects but have yet to identify who ordered the attack or determine whether it was connected to the gang led by notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, the BBC reports.

On Sunday evening, 36-year-old Shroff was playing football in Juhu, an upscale neighborhood in Mumbai. As the actor was leaving in his BMW, gunshots rang out. His driver and a video blogger who had arrived to film the star were injured.

A statement believed to be linked to Bishnoi’s gang subsequently appeared on social media. An audio recording later circulated in which a man identifying himself as Anil Pandit claimed that Shroff had been targeted because of his alleged ties to Salman Khan, whom Bishnoi has threatened for years. Police have not verified these claims.

A Return to Bollywood’s Criminal Past

The shooting comes amid a series of other attacks targeting figures in the Indian film industry. In 2024, gunmen opened fire outside Salman Khan’s home, while shots were fired near filmmaker Rohit Shetty’s residence in early 2026.

The incidents have revived memories of the 1990s and early 2000s, when Mumbai’s criminal gangs financed films, demanded protection money and threatened filmmakers. Their influence was eventually curbed through years of police operations and the industry’s shift toward more transparent sources of financing.

D. Shivanandan, a former head of the Mumbai Police crime branch, recalls a time when a phone call from Dubai could determine the fate of a film. Some producers approached underworld figures for financing themselves, and the line between investor and extortionist was often blurred.

However, Shivanandan believes the current situation differs from the city’s former mafia era.

“This is not the Mumbai underworld we have known for the past 60 years. This is something different,” he said.

Bishnoi and a New Wave of Threats

Lawrence Bishnoi has been in prison since 2015, but his name continues to surface in reports of threats and attacks. He has publicly threatened Salman Khan over a 1998 case involving the alleged illegal hunting of blackbucks, animals revered by the Bishnoi community.

In April 2024, gunmen opened fire outside the actor’s home. Six months later, politician Baba Siddique, who was close to Khan and other Bollywood stars, was murdered. Police linked both attacks to Bishnoi’s gang, although his personal involvement in Siddique’s killing has not been established.

According to former Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria, modern criminal networks differ from their predecessors in their use of technology and international connections. Their leaders no longer need to be physically present in the city to exert influence.

The way these groups build their reputations has also changed. In the 1990s, Bollywood itself often portrayed gangsters as larger-than-life figures in crime dramas. Today, criminals can shape their own public image through social media, circulating threats and claiming responsibility for attacks.

Following the shooting near the football ground where Shroff had been playing, police reportedly stepped up security at the homes of Salman Khan and Rohit Shetty. The Indian film workers’ association called for additional protection for actors and other industry figures.

“Today it is Tiger Shroff. Who will be next?” representatives of the organization asked.

There is still no compelling evidence that criminal gangs have regained the level of control they once exercised over Bollywood’s financing and decision-making. But the recent attacks have demonstrated that they no longer need to control the industry from within to spread fear across it.

“There is always a chink in the armor,” Shivanandan said.

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