India - Sanjay Dutt's arrest rocks Hindi film industry

[Faraz Rabbani]

INDIA'S HINDI FILM INDUSTRY HITS BAD TIMES
By Dev Varam
BOMBAY, India, Reuter - India's huge Hindi film industry has
been rocked by the arrest of a swashbuckling hero under
anti-terrorism laws and the failure of its biggest blockbuster
at the box office.
Sanjay Dutt, 33, among the most sought-after actors in the
Hindi film world, was arrested Monday, hours after he arrived
from shooting a film in Mauritius.
He was being questioned by Bombay police investigating last
month's bomb blasts in the city, which killed at least 250
people and injured 1,200.
``It's very sad and very unfortunate,'' said Jimmy Narula,
president of the Indian Motion Picture Producers' Association.
Dutt's arrest followed allegations by a suspect, jailed
earlier in connection with the bombings, that the actor ``was in
possession of an AK-56 automatic weapon.''
Bombay police chief Amarjeet Singh Samra Monday declined to
say if Dutt's arrest was directly linked with the chain of car
and suitcase bombings that ripped through India's commercial
capital on March 12.
Projects worth some $25.6 million have been put on hold
because of Dutt's arrest, insiders said.
It was the latest in a series of reverses for the glitzy
film industry. Bombay was devastated by two bouts of religious
violence after Hindu militants tore down a 16th century mosque
in Ayodhya last December.
More than 700 people died in the city in that violence and
box office receipts dropped sharply.
Then came the serial bombings.
The industry received yet another blow with the death of
teenage actress Divya Bharati in a fall from her fifth-floor
apartment earlier this month. Police are investigating.
A much-publicized blockbuster, the costliest film ever made
in India, has failed at the box-office since its release last
week.
The film, ``Roop Ki Rani-Choron ka Raja'' or ``The Beauty
Queen and the King of Thieves,'' produced over six years, was
estimated to cost about $3.2 million.
The three-hour fun and fantasy spectacle, with technical
excellence matching Hollywood, has been panned by critics.
Dutt's arrest came as distributors wrung their hands over
the disappointing early returns from the film.
``Personally, I'm very perturbed over Sanjay's arrest,''
said Narula. ``Money gets blocked in a situation like this. Ours
is a small industry and funds are rotated among producers and
financiers.''
Organizations supporting Dutt's arrest have called for a
boycott of his films. In the city of Pune, 120 miles south of
Bombay, Dutt's films were hurriedly withdrawn after protesters
attacked theatres showing them.
Dutt is the son of actor-turned politician Sunil Dutt, a
member of parliament of the ruling Congress Party from Bombay.
Earlier, Dutt had denied newspaper reports he received the
AK-56 rifle from film producers Hanif Kadawala and Samir
Hingora, both of whom were arrested earlier. The pair produced a
film starring Dutt.
The two producers were arrested under anti-terrorism laws
for financial links with the prime suspects in the March 12
bombings.
The producers had financial dealings with the Memon family,
who are wanted in connection with the blasts. The family fled
Bombay for Dubai just before the attacks and then traveled to
Pakistan, police said.

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