Tiger new target after Rohit, Ranveer: How Bishnoi gang is closing in on Bollywood

Actor Tiger Shroff escaped unhurt after gunmen fired at his car in Mumbai's Juhu area. The incident happened eight months after shots were fired at Rohit Shetty's residence. The attack has revived concerns over threats and violence targeting Bollywood figures.

In Short

• Tiger Shroff's car was fired at in Mumbai, driver injured
• The Bishnoi gang claimed attack, warned against Salman Khan associates
• While shots were fired at Rohit Shetty's residence, Ranveer Singh was given a threat

Bollywood has been here before. Threatening calls, extortion demands, shots fired outside homes and celebrities living under security. In the 1980s and 1990s, the Mumbai underworld cast a long shadow over the Hindi film industry, with gangsters using fear and violence to exert influence. Today, a series of threats and attacks linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang has brought back uncomfortable memories of that era.

The latest incident involves actor Tiger Shroff, whose car was fired at in Mumbai's Juhu area on Sunday, October 18. The actor escaped unhurt, while his driver and another person sustained injuries. The Bishnoi gang has claimed responsibility for the attack and warned Bollywood celebrities against working with Salman Khan. Mumbai Police are investigating the case.

The attack comes eight months after gunshots were fired outside filmmaker Rohit Shetty's residence and actor Ranveer Singh received an extortion threat. But the trail goes back further, with Salman Khan at its centre.

Salman Khan and the threats that won't stop

Salman Khan has faced years of threats linked to Lawrence Bishnoi, with the hostility tracing back to the 1998 blackbuck poaching case. In April 2024, two motorcycle-borne assailants opened fire outside his Bandra residence. His father, screenwriter Salim Khan, has also faced threats, adding to the family's security concerns.

The threats have extended to people in Khan's circle. In November 2023, gunshots were fired outside Punjabi actor-singer Gippy Grewal's home in Canada. A message claiming links to the Bishnoi gang cited his association with Khan as a reason for the attack. The actor, however, later denied his closeness to Khan.

Baba Siddiqui's murder changed everything

On October 12, 2024, former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddiqui, a close friend of Salman Khan, was shot dead in Mumbai. The Bishnoi gang claimed responsibility for the killing, and the purported message invoked Siddiqui's association with Khan.

The murder sent shockwaves through Bollywood, turning the threat of violence into a grim reality for people in the superstar's circle.

The list is only growing.

• Munawar Faruqui: The comedian received threats in October 2024, prompting Mumbai Police to provide him security. Intelligence inputs had also flagged an alleged plan to target him in Delhi.
• Kapil Sharma: His Canadian cafe was targeted in three shooting incidents in 2025. Messages claiming links to the Bishnoi gang connected the attacks to Salman Khan's appearance at the cafe's inauguration.
• Aamir Khan: In July 2026, the actor received threats through social media and audio messages from individuals claiming links to the Bishnoi gang. Police investigated the messages, which included accusations about his personal life.
• Ranveer Singh: In February 2026, the actor received a voice message demanding Rs 10 crore. Further threats warned of consequences for him and his staff.
• Aayush Sharma: Salman Khan's brother-in-law received a threatening email in February 2026, with the sender demanding ransom in cryptocurrency and claiming links to the Bishnoi gang.

The parallels with the 1980s and 1990s are difficult to ignore. Music baron Gulshan Kumar was murdered in 1997, film producer Mukesh Duggal was shot dead that year, and filmmaker Rakesh Roshan survived a shooting in 2000. Those incidents became symbols of an era when criminal networks used threats and violence to exert influence over the film business.

The current situation is different, but the methods are familiar: demands for money, warnings against celebrities and their associates, and shootings that send a message far beyond the immediate target.

Tiger Shroff's attack adds another troubling chapter to this pattern. Bollywood once again seems to be confronting a question it hoped belonged to the past.

When the who's who of Bollywood, people with access to resources, security and influence, find themselves facing threats and attacks, the concern goes beyond the film industry. It hints at a larger law-and-order challenge. Shroff's attack is the latest reminder that this question can no longer be brushed aside.

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