About 25 years ago, a film starring Salman Khan was released that garnered more attention for its connections to the underworld than for its commercial success. The film’s producers were sent to jail, and the distributors who had invested their money in the project also found themselves in deep trouble—all because of Salman.
This film is Chori Chori Chupke Chupke, released in 2001. Alongside Salman, Preity Zinta and Rani Mukerji played the lead roles in the movie. The film was directed by the duo Abbas-Mustan, while Nazim Hassan Rizvi and Rahim Khan served as its producers. The financier backing the project was Bharat Shah, who had previously co-produced the film Dil Se with Ram Gopal Varma.
Money Invested Because of Salman
Recently, Ram Gopal Varma revealed that this Salman Khan-starrer indeed had ties to the underworld. Speaking on crime author Hussain S. Zaidi’s podcast, filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma recounted how the project originally came to fruition. He explained:
“There came a point when [Bharat Shah] was approached by a man who claimed to have Salman Khan’s dates available. So, he said, ‘Okay, great.’ However, since the man had no prior background in the film industry—nor was he wealthy—Bharat bhai decided to call Salman personally. Salman confirmed to him, ‘Yes, I have indeed allotted my dates to him.’ This gave Bharat bhai such confidence that he released the funds, and the production of Chori Chori Chupke Chupke began.”
Bharat Shah Unaware of Nazim’s Connections
Ram Gopal Varma further added that Bharat Shah was under the impression that the entire operation was proceeding through legitimate channels. However, the situation took a turn when Bharat Shah discovered that the film’s producer, Nazim Rizvi, had connections to the underworld don Chhota Shakeel. At the time, Bharat Shah chose to overlook this fact. He felt that he was conducting a legitimate business, and if the producer had any ties to the underworld, what business was that of his? He (Nazim) was not a criminal himself; he was merely associated with one.
Bharat Shah Entangled While Trying to Help
Following this incident, many people began approaching Bharat Shah for assistance. However, he was not doing this for financial gain; he was simply helping people out. Yet, as the situation became increasingly complicated, Bharat Shah, too, found himself entangled. The police were tapping his phone lines. Ram Gopal recounted, “He was in shock and trembling with fear. The police suggested that Shakeel might be working for him. To this, Bharat Bhai replied, ‘Why would he work for me? I am merely a filmmaker.’”
In 2001, Bharat Shah and Nazim Rizvi were arrested by the Mumbai Police. Bharat Shah was found guilty of failing to disclose the producer’s connections to the underworld and was sentenced to one year in prison.
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