Ram Gopal Varma recently made a shocking revelation about Salman Khan’s film Chori Chori Chupke Chupke.

The 64-year-old director, who is known for directing various acclaimed films in the industry, reflected on the underworld drama behind the 2001 romantic comedy.

In an exclusive conversation with Hussain S Zaidi, Varma shared how businessman Bharat Shah got involved in the case.

During his appearance on the podcast, he shared, “At a point of time, he (Bharat Shah) got a guy who told him he was Salman Khan’s dates. So, he said, ‘Okay, cool.’ But since that guy didn’t have a film background and wasn’t even rich, Bharat bhai called Salman. Salman told him, ‘Yes, I’ve given him dates.’ That reassured Bharat bhai enough for him to give the money and the film Chori Chori Chupke Chupke started.”

Later in the interaction, the Bhoot filmmaker took a trip down memory lane and reflected on the connection between producer Nazim Rizvi and the underworld leader Chhota Shakeel.

Speaking exclusively, he added, “After some time, he got to know the producer, Nazim Rizvi, has some connection with Chhota Shakeel. But he thought he’s doing a legal business, and if the producer has some underworld connection, how does that concern him? He’s himself not a criminal, but just associated with a criminal.”

Varma further added that Bharat Shah was contacted by many businessmen from the industry to get them connected to Chhota Shakeel.

“But he wasn’t getting any money. He was just helping out. But the cops were tapping his phone,” he recalled. “He was trembling with shock and fear. The cops suggested maybe Shakeel was acting for you. So Bharat bhai said, ‘Why would he act for me? I’m just a filmmaker.’”

It is pertinent to mention that Bharat Shah and Nazim Rizvi were arrested by Mumbai police in 2001. Shah was released after fourteen months while Rizvi was given a six-year imprisonment.

Chori Chori Chupke Chupke, also featuring Rani Mukerji and Preity Zinta, was a romantic drama, which was released in 2001.