Latest news with #EjazLakdawala
Economic Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Economic Times
Rs 1.5 crore was demanded from Salman Khan's director; buying a fancy car led to bullets being fired
Renowned Bollywood director Lawrence D'Souza, known for Salman Khan's Saajan, revealed a terrifying encounter with gangster Ejaz Lakdawala. After investing in the 2003 film Indian Babu and buying a luxury car, Lawrence became a target for extortion. He survived a shooting when a bullet struck a Mother Mary statue behind him and faced repeated demands for Rs 1.5 crore. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Rising Success and Unwanted Attention Making Indian Babu and Extortion Calls Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Narrow Escape from an Assassination Attempt Bollywood director Lawrence D'Souza , known for Salman Khan's 1991 hit Saajan, recently shared a harrowing experience from the early 2000s, revealing how he narrowly escaped an assassination attempt and faced extortion threats amounting to Rs 1.5 crore. His story sheds light on the dark side of the industry during that era, when success often attracted the attention of Mumbai's criminal Saajan became a massive hit, Lawrence carved a niche for himself with moderately successful mid-budget films. However, the increasing attention also made him a target for gangsters. In an interview with Amar Ujala, he recalled that owning luxury items such as a car or a flat often drew unwanted shared that after buying a Mitsubishi Lancer for Rs 14 lakh, he began receiving late-night calls from unknown individuals demanding money. The persistent harassment forced him to sell the car for just Rs 5 lakh to avoid further director recounted his work on the 2003 film Indian Babu, produced by a London-based backer who wanted to launch his son as an actor. Lawrence invested Rs 4 crore in the project. Soon after returning from the shoot, he began receiving threatening phone calls, which he traced to notorious gangster Ejaz Lakdawala He described one such call during a song-editing session, when the caller introduced himself as Ejaz Lakdawala. Lawrence initially thought it was a prank, hanging up after the brief conversation. When he called back and 'played the song for him,' the gangster reportedly became furious, escalating the later, Lawrence was sitting in a lawn outside his office when a motorcyclist fired two shots at him. Fortunately, a gate with an acrylic sheet provided protection, and one bullet struck a nearby statue of Mother Mary, sparing his life. He credited this miraculous incident for saving him from serious the shooting, the gangster continued harassing Lawrence, demanding Rs 1.5 crore and suggesting he ask Nadeem of the music duo Nadeem-Shravan for the money. Lawrence and his family were bewildered, questioning why Nadeem would be involved. Eventually, the calls stopped, bringing an end to the terrifying episode.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Rs 1.5 crore was demanded from Salman Khan's director; buying a fancy car led to bullets being fired
Bollywood director Lawrence D'Souza , known for Salman Khan's 1991 hit Saajan, recently shared a harrowing experience from the early 2000s, revealing how he narrowly escaped an assassination attempt and faced extortion threats amounting to Rs 1.5 crore. His story sheds light on the dark side of the industry during that era, when success often attracted the attention of Mumbai's criminal underworld. Independence Day 2025 Op Sindoor to water cutoff: PM Modi slams Pak in I-Day speech GST reforms by Diwali to cut daily-use taxes: PM Modi Terrorism, tech, more: PM's I-Day speech highlights Rising Success and Unwanted Attention After Saajan became a massive hit, Lawrence carved a niche for himself with moderately successful mid-budget films. However, the increasing attention also made him a target for gangsters. In an interview with Amar Ujala, he recalled that owning luxury items such as a car or a flat often drew unwanted scrutiny. Lawrence shared that after buying a Mitsubishi Lancer for Rs 14 lakh, he began receiving late-night calls from unknown individuals demanding money. The persistent harassment forced him to sell the car for just Rs 5 lakh to avoid further trouble. Making Indian Babu and Extortion Calls The director recounted his work on the 2003 film Indian Babu, produced by a London-based backer who wanted to launch his son as an actor. Lawrence invested Rs 4 crore in the project. Soon after returning from the shoot, he began receiving threatening phone calls, which he traced to notorious gangster Ejaz Lakdawala . He described one such call during a song-editing session, when the caller introduced himself as Ejaz Lakdawala. Lawrence initially thought it was a prank, hanging up after the brief conversation. When he called back and 'played the song for him,' the gangster reportedly became furious, escalating the threats. Narrow Escape from an Assassination Attempt Weeks later, Lawrence was sitting in a lawn outside his office when a motorcyclist fired two shots at him. Fortunately, a gate with an acrylic sheet provided protection, and one bullet struck a nearby statue of Mother Mary, sparing his life. He credited this miraculous incident for saving him from serious harm. Following the shooting, the gangster continued harassing Lawrence, demanding Rs 1.5 crore and suggesting he ask Nadeem of the music duo Nadeem-Shravan for the money. Lawrence and his family were bewildered, questioning why Nadeem would be involved. Eventually, the calls stopped, bringing an end to the terrifying episode.
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Salman Khan's director was shot by gangsters, escaped when bullet hit Mother Mary statue behind him: ‘He demanded Rs 1.5 crore'
Salman Khan was the new kid on the block after his debut film Maine Pyar Kiya became a blockbuster in 1989, but soon afterwards, he appeared in a string of flops, until the 1991 film Saajan. The film also starred Sanjay Dutt and Madhuri Dixit, and turned out to be a massive box office hit. The film brought director Lawrence D'Souza into the limelight but its success also made him an easy target for underworld gangsters. In the 1990s, Lawrence continued to make mid-budget money spinners that turned modest profits. But, when he made the film Indian Babu, it prompted gangsters to make extortion calls to his house, and even shoot him in plain sight at his office. In a recent interview with Amar Ujala, Lawrence shared that back in those days, buying a new car or a flat could paint a target on your back. He recalled that after he bought a Mitsubishi Lancer for Rs 14 lakh, he started getting extortion calls in the middle of the night. And so, he sold it for just Rs 5 lakh at the earliest. He then remembered shooting Indian Babu, a 2003 release, for a London-based producer, who wanted to launch his son as an actor. And for this, he spent Rs 4 crore on the film. Lawrence shared that someone must have spread this information with some gangsters, because as soon as he got back, he started getting extortion calls. 'One day, when I was editing the song, I got a call at the edit studio. He said 'Main Ejaz Lakdawala bol raha hu (I am Ejaz Lakdawala)'. I said 'Kaun? Maine naam hi nahi suna kabhi (Who? I had never heard that name). I thought someone must be pulling a prank on me or something. So I hung up,' he recalled and added that when he called again, 'I played the song for him. He got mad after that.' ALSO READ | War 2 worldwide box office Day 1: Jr NTR rescues Hrithik Roshan's film from lowest-ever Spy Universe opening; movie makes Rs 52 crore Lawrence said that after this phone call, Ejaz's henchmen started following him around. After a couple of weeks, when Lawrence was sitting in a lawn just outside his office, he saw a biker taking two shots at him. 'I was sitting outside my office but there was a gate there where I had put up an acrylic sheet. He shot twice but the bullets didn't hit me, they hit the sheet. One of the bullets hit the Mother Mary statue that was behind me,' he recalled. Afterwards, the gangster continued to call at his house and demanded Rs 1.5 crore. 'He then started saying that you ask Nadeem (of Nadeem-Shravan) for this money. And we were like 'Why would Nadeem pay?' I don't know what happened but eventually he stopped calling,' he shared.
