Seven rounds fired at close range in Juhu have pushed Mumbai’s film industry back toward a fear it hoped was behind it. On Sunday evening, three bike-borne men opened fire on actor Tiger Shroff’s car with a Zigana semi-automatic handgun. Shroff, whose father Jackie is a well-loved industry figure, escaped injury; his driver and a bystander were hurt. Police later said suspects were caught in Kota after reportedly receiving a ₹50,000 advance.
A widening pattern of threats
The attack is not being read in isolation. It comes after roughly two years of threats and attacks aimed at some of Hindi cinema’s most visible names.
- Shots were fired at director Rohit Shetty’s Juhu home in February this year.
- Salman Khan has faced warnings since at least a June 2022 note left for his father at Bandra Bandstand, and now moves with Y Plus security plus a private detail.
- Ranveer Singh was asked to pay extortion after the success of Dhurandhar, a producer told Hindustan Times.
- Aamir Khan was warned over “Love Jihad” by the Bishnoi gang after his wedding to Gauri Spratt, and comic Munawar Faruqui received police cover after threats from the same gang.
The killing of politician Baba Siddiqui in October 2024, a close friend of several A-listers, sits in the same wider arc of concern.
Why the Juhu attack lands differently
The 1990s underworld’s hold on Bollywood—extortion, forcible casting, shootouts—has remained a raw memory, and many believed the worst was behind the industry. The Juhu shooting has unsettled that assumption.
Part of the alarm is the audacity. The firing happened around 7 pm in festive Navratri traffic, and the attackers were unmasked and apparently unconcerned about being caught. One leading man who plays football with Shroff asked how they would know he visits Pushpa Narsee Park every Sunday unless they had been watching him.
A 57-year-old superstar who has worked with Shroff put the mood plainly:
“Tiger is the sweetest, cleanest kid, I know. If he can be targeted by the underworld, then anyone of us can be their next target.”
Fear is rising; the paper trail is not
Private security is expanding. Salman Khan travels with Y Plus cover plus a private detail; Rohit Shetty’s Golmaal-5 set was described as sealed to outsiders; at least one 1990s action star said he is adding guards.
Yet Mumbai Police said they have received no formal extortion complaint from anyone in the film industry. That gap matters. Protection and investigation usually begin with a recorded complaint, and without one, private fear may harden into isolation rather than public safety.
For an industry built on visibility—at airports, promotions, sets and Sunday football games—the question is whether stars will document threats and cooperate with the police or continue to rely on guards alone.
Source: Hindustan Times
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