"Set your house in order," commissioner tells filmfolk

By Padmaraj Nair
The Mumbai film industry held an improptu meeting with the top brass of Mumbai Police on Sunday, June 11, to enlighten them on the menace of video piracy and extortion threats recieved by some filmfolk. Mumbai police commissioner MN Singh, joint commissioner of police, D Shivanand and additional commissioner Subhash Awathe patiently heard the problems pertaining to law and order being faced by the film industry.

Surprisingly, the filmfolk delved more on the problem of video piracy and appeared wary of discussing the subject of extortion threats. This made the commissioner remark: "I came here expecting a lot of fireworks and seeing your calm faces has been reassuring." The members suggested that the police enforce the copyright laws more effectively at the local level and demanded a separate cell to tackle the menace more effectively.

Addressing the gathering, MN Singh asked for more time to study the exact nature of the problem before coming out with some assurance. Judging the mood of the film producers, the police commissioner stressed more on the point of security. He assured the filmfolk of adequate protection, adding, "Underworld elements have made inroads into the entertainment industry owing to the glamour involved. So, first set your house in order and depend on the police alone for your safety. Your safety is top on my list of concerns, as anything untoward happening to the film industry can send wrong signal to the citizens," he added.

Singh said 20 film personalities were under serious threat as per the intelligence reports and the Mumbai Police has taken adequate precautions in the matter. It is after MN Singh took over that a gang conspiring to hit producer Pahlaj Nihalani was eliminated in an encounter. Singh said 40 film personalities had been provided with security and his biggest priority is to make Mumbai a crimeless city. He vowed to put an end to the bhai culture and termed it as a menace of the 90s.

The Mumbai police commissioner also sounded warning shots to those celebrities who hobnob with underworld elements. "If i name them it will embarrass you. I know of people who have direct contact with underworld sources and those who have social interactions with them. It’s for the film industry to expose these elements and come clean", he said.

Talking about video piracy Singh observed that it was easy to enact any law, but difficult to enforce it. He rejected the demand for a seperate cell to enforce copyright law as there already existed a cell in the Crime Branch to check the menace. But he promised to look into the laws and study how they can be enforced more effectively. He said cases have to be presented in the court of law in a more appropriate manner, so that the pirates never venture into the business again.

Yash Chopra, who delivered the vote of thanks, assured the Mumbai Police that the film industry would definitely set its house in order and sought more co-operation from the law and order agency. The meeting was largely attended by film producers and there was no representative from other associations like the Cine Artistes Association. Those who did attend included Shakti Samanta, Pahlaj Nihalani, Ramesh Sippy, Surinder Kapoor, Sultan Ahmed, Kiran Shantaram, Kumar Taurani, Ganesh Jain, Vijay Anand, Yash Johar, Amit Khanna, Sushma Shiromani and Preeti Sapru.