‘I’m earning my living because of Dawood Ibrahim’: Ram Gopal Varma says he wouldn’t have made Satya, Company if the gangster ‘wasn’t there’

When asked if he ever received threatening calls from the underworld like many actors and filmmakers did during the 1990s, he said, “I was the only guy who never got threatening calls, the reason being they loved Satya and Company. They didn’t want to bother me. I kind of became their soul mate.”

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Were Satya and Company funded by the underworld?

In an earlier chat with ANI, D Sivanandhan, who was the joint CP Crime Mumbai (1998–2001), and held many operations to end the control of underworld in Mumbai, suggested that some of RGV’s films were funded by the gangsters. He said that films like Satya, Company, Shootout at Wadala and Shootout at Lokhandwala were made to “lift the image of the gangsters.” He said, “They were all funded and financed by them only.” He even went on to claim that films from the 1970s, like Deewaar and Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, “were funded and financed by them.”

Bollywood’s underworld phase

In the 1990s, many actors, producers, directors and other technicians were constantly under the threat of the underworld. Karan Johar has previously revealed that he got threat calls when his debut film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai released in theatres. Varun Dhawan recently revealed that his father, David Dhawan, also got similar calls. T-Series owner Gulshan Kumar was shot to death in broad light by gangsters.

In the same chat with ANI, D Sivanandhan, explained how the underworld controlled Bollywood at the time and how police officials could do little about it due to limited means of protecting industry members. “They (the actors) had no choice (of saying no) and we had no means of protecting them. Let me admit that. We didn’t take action against them,” he said.

DISCLAIMER: This article provides historical and creative context regarding the Mumbai underworld’s influence on cinema and is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. The views expressed are the author’s own and do not endorse or verify any claims regarding illegal activities or unverified historical associations.