In a revealing conversation with crime author Hussain S Zaidi, filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma discussed the controversial ties between Salman Khan's film 'Chori Chori Chupke Chupke' and the Mumbai underworld. The project began when financier Bharat Shah was introduced to the film through a non-industry associate who claimed to have Khan's dates. Initially, Shah believed the venture was legitimate. However, he later discovered that producer Nazim Rizvi had connections to infamous underworld figure Chhota Shakeel. The situation escalated when a businessman received an extortion call demanding ₹5 crore (roughly $600,000 USD), which was later reduced to ₹2 crore (roughly $240,000 USD) after Rizvi's involvement. This drew the attention of law enforcement, leading to phone taps on Shah. In 2001, both Shah and Rizvi were arrested; Shah was sentenced to one year in jail for not disclosing Rizvi's underworld links, while Rizvi received a six-year sentence and a fine of ₹15 lakh (roughly $18,000 USD). At the time, Shah was a prominent financier in Bollywood, associated with major projects from studios like Yash Raj Films and Dharma Productions.