Mafia tape rocks Bollywood

Mumbai police have released a taped conversation between Bollywood superstar Sanjay Dutt and underworld chief Chhota Shakeel in which the mafia boss talks of killing heart-throb Hrithik Roshan.

The explosive tapes, which also feature directors Mahesh Manjrekar and Sanjay Gupta and producer Harish Sugandh chatting to Shakeel, have led Mumbai police to increase security for top stars.

Sanjay tells Shakeel that Roshan once phoned up Karisma Kapoor and abused her, to which the Karachi-based don ominously says that he won’t be around for too long.

“Brother, there’s not many days left now. Do you understand?” says Shakeel. He then asks Dutt repeatedly: “Do you understand?”

The actor replies: “Yes.”

Taped in November 2000, the conversations have now been released as evidence in the case against financier Bharat Shah, who is also being investigated for underworld links.

Dutt also complains to Shakeel about the Govinda, saying that he throws tantrums and arrives for work late.

The telephone conversation is around 45 minutes long, and Dutt hands over the phone to Manjrekar, Gupta and Sugandh to chat to Shakeel.

Manjrekar, who directed Dutt in gangster flick Vaastav, also tells Shakeel that he wants to make a film about the underworld chief.

After the release of the tapes, hundreds of protesters from the ruling BJP political party took to the streets of Mumbai to rally against Dutt.

The actor, who turned 42 a few days ago, is in Ooty in India this week shooting a film. Dutt has previously been arrested on terrorism charges and served 18 months in jail.

The Mumbai-based movie industry has retreated into a shell after the release of the tapes, with many top actors, producers and directors seeking police protection.

Four Bollywood films based on the life of legendary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh have woken the Punjab police up to a tragic legacy in their own backyard.

For more than 50 years the police have been running a fund in the name of British police officer Saunders and head constable Chanan Singh, whom Singh shot dead to avenge the killing of Lala Lajpat Rai.

After Bhagat was hanged, the authorities set up the fund to honour the British officer, but after Independence the police turned a blind eye and it continued.

The Punjab government has decided to stop perpetuating the memory of those whom the martyr had targeted.

The fund, intended to benefit the kin of police officers killed in action, will be renamed after another hero, Avtar Singh Atwal, who was killed by militants in front of the Golden Temple in Amritsar in 1984.

The Mumbai police have complained against Bollywood king Shah Rukh Khan for threatening and abusive behaviour towards a TV cameraman.

The altercation took place between the cameraman and a personal security guard of the actor at a function organised to unveil a collection of costumes in the actor’s recently released film Devdas.

A fierce argument broke out after the security guard objected to the cameraman filming certain shots of Shahrukh Khan at the function.

On the basis of complaint lodged by the victim, the police have registered a case against Khan and his guard for insult with intent to provoke breach of peace and criminal intimidation.

Just before Aamir Khan set off for the Lorcano film festival he found time to play a charity doubles match in New Delhi.

He was partnered by German tennis ace Boris Becker against former Indian tennis player Vijay Amritraj and cricket legend Kapil Dev.

Khan brothers Salman and Arbaaz have signed up for another film together after a mixed reviews of Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya and Hello Brother.

Their latest film is called Sanghaar – The Destroyer, which will be directed by actor Puneet Issar.

The action thriller is due to start rolling in December and co-stars Shilpa Shetty, Amrish Puri, Anupam Kher and Ashutosh Rana. The film will be released in the summer of 2003.

Bollywood babe Manisha Koirala has decided to donate her fee from her film Market to charity working with those in the red light areas.

In the film she plays a woman working in the red light districts of Mumbai.

Former Bollywood actor Chunkey Pandey has signed up to host a TV game show called Lootmall.

The show is like an Indian supermarket sweep with contestants having to shop in a market.

Pandey says: “In Lootmall, I don’t loot the public, but there are lots of things for the public to loot.

“People find it difficult to win on a game show. In this show, however, what you win depends on the participant’s wit, intelligence and a sense of humour.”

Pandey, who wasn’t seen much in films after hits like Aankhen and Insaniyat, is also returning to Hindi cinema with Sanjay Chhel’s Yahoo and Harry Baweja’s Qayamat.

Hot shot actor Vivek Oberoi is rumoured to be turning his hand to writing a film for Karan Johar.

It all started when Johar offered a role to Oberoi in a thriller he had planned to direct with Shah Rukh Khan in the lead. That film got shelved when Khan injured his back.

The actor narrated a story idea of a film he was writing to Karan, and the director was so impressed with the story that he told Oberoi he would make it with him in the lead.