Dawood Ibrahim’s gangsters asked Naseeruddin Shah to return fee of my film, claims Lilliput: ‘I was in wrong company’ | Bollywood News

The Hindi film industry was undergoing a troublesome phase in the 1980s and 1990s when several investigations and police officials reported that the underworld gangsters, most notably Dawood Ibrahim and many of his colleagues of their notorious D-Company, started investing their black money in the movies. In this era, a lot of film stars, producers, directors, composers, singers would get extortion calls from gangsters in Dubai, with threats to their life as some were even shot in broad daylight. In this phase, the gangsters of D-Company contacted Naseeruddin Shah and asked for their money back as the actor had received payment for a film that was apparently funded them. In a new conversation shared on Subhojit Ghosh’s YouTube channel, actor-writer Lilliput shared that it was his film that led to this chaos.
Lilliput shared that he first met Naseeruddin Shah back in the 1980s during a play. Describing him as a “soft-hearted man” who is a “complete human being”, Lilliput shared that Naseeruddin, along with Mithun Chakraborty, often encouraged him to work for those who are vertically challenged, and promised their support in whichever endeavour Lilliput would initiate.
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Dawood Ibrahim’s gangsters asked Naseeruddin Shah to return signing amount
Lilliput shared that back in those days, he wanted to make a film called Shahadat and one day, while he was visiting Naseeruddin, he discussed the plot of the film. The actor was intrigued and immediately agreed to be a part of the film. “I was shocked that he said yes,” Lilliput shared and added that the muhurat (inauguration) of the film happened at Filman Studios in Mumbai. But, things went awry shortly afterwards.
“Hum kuch galat logo ke chakkar mein pad gaye the (We were in wrong company),” he shared and when asked to elaborate, Lilliput said, “Galat log matlab… Voh jo uss waqt D Company ka chakkar tha, toh aise logo ke sath pad gaya tha (Wrong company meaning… The people from D Company, I was in touch with them).” Naseeruddin Shah has not commented on this.
Lilliput revealed that he got embroiled with gangsters while trying to get his movies made. (Photo: Rajshri Unplugged/YouTube)
Lilliput claimed that individuals linked to the underworld contacted Naseeruddin Shah asking for the signing amount to be returned. “I heard that the film was not being made and they asked Naseeruddin Shah to return his signing amount,” he said, but he did not clarify as to how this happened without his knowledge, as he was the director of the film. “I wondered how I will face him now,” Lilliput wondered after he learnt about gangsters contacting Naseeruddin and said that he did not approach the actor to clear the air. “Even though we met again, he never mentioned this. But I was feeling guilty,” he said.
Lilliput wants to pay Naseeruddin Shah ‘thrice’ of what he returned then
Lilliput shared that Naseeruddin has never held a grudge against him and during the shoot of the 2025 film Gustaakh Ishq in Amritsar, he even suggested Lilliput’s name for a supporting role. “I am still living with that guilt but that man has completely moved on,” he said and added that he wishes to make a film with Naseeruddin Shah in the future, and pay him “thrice the amount of money” that he was to pay in Shahadat.Story continues below this ad
When the host asked why he never called the actor after he sensed that differences could crop up between them, Lilliput said that this was before the era of cell phones, and implied that he never asked for the actor’s contact details.
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Role of underworld in Bollywood
Underworld not only played an important role in production and financing of the films, but actors were often summoned abroad to perform at events organised the gangsters. Former Mumbai police commissioner D Sivanandhan said in an interview with ANI that some films during that era were believed to have received underworld funding: “Films like ‘Satya’, ‘Company’, ‘Daddy’, ‘Shootout At Wadala’, ‘Shootout At Lokhandwala’ were made to lift the image of the gangsters. They were all funded and financed them only.” Many received threats from the underworld to act in films financed them or pay them, including Shah Rukh Khan.
Journal Anupama Chopra’s book, King of Bollywood: Shah Rukh Khan and the Seductive World of Indian Cinema, documented this era in Bollywood. The actor would get frequent threatening phone calls from gangster Abu Salem, who was upset that Shah Rukh wasn’t doing what was told to him. “He would tell me that he could see me,” Shah Rukh recalled. “It was like living under a telescope. It was very depressing and very scary.”