India, Oct. 20 -- "Tiger is the sweetest, cleanest kid, I know. If he can be targeted by the underworld, then anyone of us can be their next target," says a 57-year-old Bollywood superstar who has worked with Shroff, 36.

Sunday evening's attack on Tiger Shroff at Juhu in which three bike-borne men fired seven rounds from a sophisticated semi-automatic Zigana handgun at his car, injuring the star's driver and a bystander, has had a chilling impact on the film industry in Mumbai. For most, the underworld's stranglehold on Bollywood through the 1990s is still a raw memory.

The attack on Shroff--his father, Jackie, is a well-loved figure in the film industry-- comes on the back of threats to several other stars. Those who have been threaten...