Bollywood's dark past is threatening to return

DISASTER. FLOP. AVERAGE.

- ANDY MUKHERJEE Bloomberg

If you had to bet on a Bollywood movie's fate in 2024, those would have been your three best options in a year set to end with a 30-40% drop in box-office collections. The world's most prolific film industry is desperately hoping for a better 2025. And so are the city's cops: When the theatres go empty, the body count starts to rise on the streets of Mumbai. That's what the 1990s were like — and everyone's dreading a repeat of lawlessness in India's financial capital.

The fears are far from exaggerated. Baba Siddique, a local politician and real-estate developer who enjoyed close friendships with celebrity actors, was gunned down in October as he was about to get into his car. A member of the gang that claimed responsibility said in a Facebook post that "Bollywood, politics, and property dealings" were behind the murder.