Manoj Bajpayee on Bollywood's underworld security threats: Why Tiger Shroff became an unexpected target in firing incident

The firing outside Tiger Shroff's Mumbai residence has led to concerns about the safety of Bollywood celebrities. Actor Manoj Bajpayee believes, however, that the current security threats facing the film industry are very different from the underworld intimidation that troubled Bollywood years ago.

In an interview with Hindustan Times, Bajpayee was asked whether the recent incident indicated a return of the underworld's influence over Bollywood. The actor said the situation should not be compared with the past, when the film industry itself was the primary target of such threats.

"It will never go back to the same old time. That time, the industry was the target, right now, it’s not this time. The pace and definition of the crime has changed completely. Now, somebody is sitting somewhere else and sending their shooters to attack a target, and that target may even not be the real target," he said.

Why Tiger Shroff was not the intended target

The firing incident outside Tiger Shroff's residence reportedly took a different turn during the investigation. According to statements from the accused, actor Salman Khan was allegedly the original target. The accused were also reported to have conducted reconnaissance at the residences of several other Bollywood personalities, including Akshay Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan.

"From Tiger’s incident, what has come to the fore is that he was not the target, but suddenly became one. The whole conversation was about these other stars who were the real target and now they have to surround themselves with utmost safety," he said.

What happened outside Tiger Shroff's Mumbai residence?

The shooting took place on October 18 in Mumbai's Juhu area. Police said at least two men on a motorcycle fired five to six rounds at Shroff’s car before escaping. The motorcycle was later recovered abandoned in Andheri. The actor escaped relatively unhurt, while his driver and a bystander sustained injuries.

The investigation led to multiple arrests in connection with the alleged conspiracy. Police said some of the accused had travelled to Amritsar to procure weapons, while two women allegedly transported the firearms to Mumbai by train and handed them over to the attackers.

In a subsequent court hearing, police sought further custody of four accused, citing the need to analyse data recovered from their phones and investigate their communication through Signal. The case was registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Arms Act, including charges related to attempted murder.