Chori Chori Chupke Chupke, a 2001 romantic drama directed by and starring Abbas-Mustan Salman Khan, Preity ZintaAnd Rani Mukherjee is often remembered for presenting one of Bollywood’s earliest portrayals of surrogacy, albeit in a flawed manner. However, beyond its story, the film is infamous for its unexpected ties to the Mumbai underworld, a connection of which its financier Bharat Shah initially had no knowledge. Recalling the events, the filmmaker Ram Gopal Vermawho co-produced ‘Dil Se..’ with Shah, shared how the project came to fruition. He shared during a conversation with Hussain Zaidi, “At one point of time, he (Bharat Shah) met a guy who told him that he had dates with Salman Khan. So, he said, ‘Okay, great.’ But since the guy did not have a film background and was not rich, Bharat Bhai called Salman,” Verma said. “Salman told him, ‘Yes, I have given her dates.’ This gave Bharat Bhai so much assurance that he gave the money and the film Chori Chori Chupke Chupke started,” he added.Things changed when Shah later learned that the film’s producer, Nazim RizviAllegedly had links with underworld kingpin Chhota Shakeel. Verma told about Shah’s mentality at that time. He said, “After some time they came to know that producer Nazim Rizvi has some connection with Chhota Shakeel. But they thought he was doing a legal business, and if the producer has any connection with the underworld, what difference does it make to them? He is not a criminal himself, but is just associated with a criminal.”The situation worsened when an unknown businessman from the film industry received an extortion call of Rs 5 crore. Desperate, he turned to Shah for help, hoping that Rizvi and Shakeel’s relationship could solve the problem. When contacted, the demand came down to Rs 2 crore.Soon, other personalities from the industry also started reaching out to Shah for similar assistance. Despite helping others, Shah was not benefiting financially from these interventions. “But he was not getting any money. He was just helping. But the police were tapping his phones,” Verma recalled, “He was trembling with shock and fear. The police suggested that perhaps Shakeel was working for you. So, Bharat Bhai said, ‘Why would he work for me? I am just a filmmaker.”In 2001, both Shah and Rizvi were arrested by the Mumbai Police. Shah was convicted of failing to disclose Rizvi’s alleged underworld ties and sentenced to a year in jail. However, having already spent 14 months in custody during the trial, he was immediately released. Meanwhile Rizvi and his associate Mohd. abdul rahim Allahbaksh Khan was found guilty of maintaining links with the underworld and extorting money from members of the film industry. Each of them was fined Rs 15 lakh and sentenced to six years in jail.Before the controversy, Shah, who was also a prominent diamond merchant, was one of Bollywood’s most influential financiers. He supported major banners like Yash Raj FilmsDharma Productions, Dreamz Unlimited, and later Red Chillies Entertainment. His co-production credits include films like ‘Darr’, ‘Yes Boss’, ‘Dil Se..’, ‘Pukar’, ‘Devdas’ and ‘Main Hoon Na’, which include collaborations with filmmakers like Yash Chopra, Aziz Mirza, Mani Ratnam, Rajkumar Santoshi. Sanjay Leela BhansaliAnd Farah Khan.