Actor Shah Rukh Khan has reportedly received a call from underworld don Ravi Pujari.
Don't be afraid. This is what Mumbai Police is telling members of the Hindi film industry, some of whom have allegedly received threat calls from the underworld recently.
The assurance came on a day actor Shah Rukh Khan was provided additional police protection. The actor reportedly received a call from underworld don Ravi Pujari, warning him against working for producer Karim Morani. The actor's office has denied receiving any such call.
Dhananjay Kamlakar, Joint Commissioner of Police, Law and Order, told reporters, "This is a one-off incident. This does not mean that the underworld is back or there is fear in Bollywood."
The reports of the alleged call come just days after unidentified gunmen fired five rounds outside Mr Morani's residence in suburban Juhu. Both local police and the Mumbai Police's Crime Branch are investigating the case.
P S Pasricha, former police commissioner, told NDTV, "Most criminals like Dawood Ibrahim and Chota Rajan are lying low these days. Now people like Ravi Pujari want to come into the market. Unless he creates fear in the minds of the common man, how will he succeed?"
Once in a while, the underworld does try to make a comeback, said Mr Pasricha, but added that the police are capable of tackling such elements.
"We appeal to everyone to not be scared. Every call is taken seriously. Whenever there is a (threat) call, there is an SOP (standard operating procedure). An assessment is done on whose threat it is and why it has been issued. We then look into the seriousness of the threat and take steps," Mr Kamlakar added.
Actor Priyanka Chopra, who has starred with Shahrukh Khan in films of the
Don franchise, says, "We should not generalise after one such incident. We should leave this to the police. Their job is to protect us and they will."