New Delhi. Ramesh Sippy was preparing for his next film after the tremendous success of ‘Sholay’. Salim-Javed wrote the story of a film, which was named ‘Shaan’. Bringed the pair of Amitabh Bachchan and Shashi Kapoor again for this film. However, this film did not do anything special. If the box office film did not work, Ramesh Sippy once again decided to make a film with the story of Salim-Javed. This film was ‘Shakti’ and veterans like Amitabh Bachchan and Dilip Kumar were selected for the film.
When three gunmen did kidnap
On the morning of 24 September 1982, Mushir Alam was going to work that suddenly a white ambassador car stopped coming to him. Three gunmen got off the car and forcibly pushed them into the car. He was blindfolded, but Musir did not lose courage. He tried to remember the small things around him.
The film Shakti was included in the list of 10 highest grossing films in the year 1982.
Sholay’s poster and Quran’s voice became a clue
Despite being blindfolded, Mushir noticed that he saw the poster of ‘Sholay’ (which was running in theaters even after seven years of release). In addition, he realized that the stairs from which they went up were wood. Also, he heard the voice of children reading the Quran of the children. All these clues proved to be helpful for the police.
Kidnappers sought 20 lakh rupees
Kidnappers demanded a ransom of Rs 20 lakh from Mushir. Mushir called one of his colleagues, who arranged about 3 lakh rupees. After taking the money, the kidnappers left Mushir at an intersection.
Amitabh Bachchan and Dilip Kumar appeared first and last time in Ramesh Sippy’s film. Photo courtesy-dilip_kumar_superstar/instagram
Dilip Kumar raised the case
However, Mushir wanted to forget the incident and move forward, but the film’s star Dilip Kumar insisted on getting it investigated. Isak Bagwan wrote in his book, ‘On September 24, 1982, a constable told us that Dilip Kumar has come to the commissioner’s office. We thought he might have come for his gun license or any security matter, but it was not so. Mushir Alam and Riyaz were also present in the office of Commissioner Rebero along with Dilip Kumar. Mushir told the police all his anecdote. Bagwan asked him some important questions, such as ‘how long it took from Haji Ali to the destination’, ‘How much was the number of stairs’, where the kidnappers kept them, what was the sound coming. Mushir remembered all this and helped the police by telling everything.
Kidnappers open pole
Crime Branch Officer Issac Bagwan guessed that Mushir would have been taken to a building in Nagpada area. When the police reached there, they found the same room that Mushir mentioned. People present there told that this room belongs to Amirzada-Alamzeb gang. The police continued the investigation and found that the gang had abolished his resources in many attempts to kill Dawood Ibrahim. Because of this, he needed money and got him kidnapped with the help of Ahmed Sayyed Khan, an associate of Musheer.
Producer Mushir Alam reached the police on the stubbornness of Dilip Kumar. Photo courtesy
Bollywood and underworld alliance exposed
The kidnapping of producer Mushir Alam was a major incident of the 80s, which exposed the alliance of Bollywood and Mumbai underworld. If Mushir had not remembered the posters and other clues of ‘Sholay’, it would have been difficult to catch the kidnappers.
‘Shakti’ superhit
The film ‘Shakti’ was released on 1 October 1982. In the film, Dilip Kumar’s pairing with Amitabh Bachchan was first seen on the screen. Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Rakhi Gulzar, Smita Patil, Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Amrish Puri were in the lead roles. This film became the eighth highest grossing film of that year. The film ‘Shakti’ later became a super hit. But this incident during its construction is still remembered as an exciting story in the history of Bollywood.
