India, April 17 -- Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma recently revisited one of Hindi cinema's most turbulent periods, the 1990s, when Mumbai's underworld exerted deep influence on the industry. He spoke about how threats, overseas funding, and pressure around casting were often driven by crime syndicates led by figures like Dawood Ibrahim, and explained why prominent names such as Rakesh Roshan and Gulshan Kumar became targets. (Also read: In 1st criticism of Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar 2, Ram Gopal Varma disagrees with portrayal of this character)

In a conversation with crime writer Hussain Zaidi, RGV said the underworld's actions were not random but calculated. According to him, gangsters used fear as a tool to assert dominance by targeting influ...