Cinema noir

But how far in fact will the probe be carried? Will it go far enough? Some are already complaining, with little justification, about a witch-hunt. But others welcome the probe, albeit silently, and hope it will lead to a much needed clean-up of film finance and put an end to mafia intimidation, the signing up for a film with a gun held to their heads. Although there is no hard evidence about the extent of mafia involvement, the general belief is the links are extensive. Dawood Ibrahim, Chhota Shakeel, Chhota Rajan, Abu Salem and smaller members of the species are said to have fingers in many pies. But it is a complex picture. While some sections of Bollywood are deeply in collusion with the mafia, black money deployed comes from other sources as well. It is probably an exaggeration to say no part of the industry is untouched by tainted money but the vast sums gambled on films and the shabby accounting systems suggest the rot is widespread.

The police may be able to reveal how much is black, white and grey if investigations go ahead without interference. It is a big if8217;. Shoals of interests are involved. Not only does it require great skill to navigate through them but without political backing and public support the joint police commissioner heading the investigation cannot hope to get very far. The public seems cynical, and is not likely to be shaken by the fall of more heroes. As for the powers-that-be, already police questioning of Bharat Shah, Bollywood8217;s biggest financier, seems to have opened up a Pandora8217;s box of trouble. There was an immediate impact on the Bombay Stock Exchange where entertainment stocks were hit and triggered a sharp fall in the index after a week of steady upward movement. After the affair was discussed in the Maharashtra Assembly meeting in Nagpur, no one was left in any doubt that Bollywood has powerful political connections. So it is not hard to imagine what pressures will be brought to bear on the police tolimit their investigations. The endgame is hard to predict. For Bollywood8217;s sake, the first catch should not turn out to be the last.

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