Bollywood Continues To Celebrate Diwali With Glamorous Parties Despite Threats

Last night, a Diwali party was scheduled to take place at Ektaa Kapoor’s residence in Juhu. This was the latest update at the time of going to press. However, attempts by The Free Press Journal to obtain further details received no response from the Kapoor family, as “the intention is to keep things strictly private,” reveals a source. The source adds, “Even the guest list is more limited, though, of course, superstars and constants will pose for the paparazzi at a later hour.”

Picture this: The imposing black-and-gold gates outside Jeetendra’s iconic bungalow, Krishna, are manned by an army of at least eight people on any given day. Today, there is an additional security measure, with some safari-suited men seated on plastic chairs outside the imposing gates.

Gloomy vibe

“You cannot allow fear to dictate our movements,” says a Bollywood superstar. “I’m attending each and every Diwali party I’m invited to. I was at Ramesh Taurani’s party, then at Manish Malhotra’s, and I intend to attend Ektaa’s party as well.”

His voice is composed, but there is a tinge of irritation, as this mafia-themed real-life situation playing out around them is inconvenient and, definitely, a party spoiler.

He agrees that there is an atmosphere of growing disquiet in the bylanes of Juhu, where several star homes, including his own, stand almost like a mini-cluster town.

Patrol, patrol and more patrol

Police personnel and private security agency staff are now deployed outside several bungalows belonging to the Bachchans, Devgns and Kapoors (Ektaa and Tusshar), as well as Shetty Tower (filmmaker Rohit Shetty’s building) and Shatrughan Sinha’s bungalow, Ramayan. Since Sinha is an MP, a police booth has existed there for several years.

However, additional security is also visible outside the lanes leading to several other star homes. There are either khaki-clad police personnel keeping a tight vigil or, as mentioned earlier, men in grey safari suits sitting on plastic chairs, their eyes scrutinising passers-by.

The Free Press Journal went for a stroll on Dhanteras and was questioned by a security guard outside a Juhu bungalow: “Why are you staring so hard? Kya hai idhar?”

“Nothing,” we retorted, explaining that our auto-rickshaw was merely passing through the lane to avoid traffic on the main road. Not entirely convinced, the safari-suit-clad security guard called out to the policeman stationed outside the gate. After the policeman had given us a head-to-toe assessment, we drove off.

The idea is not to 'spread' fear, but Bollywood is certainly feeling the heat.

Jaane kahan gaye woh din?

As our rickshaw rolled away, I found myself thinking about how, in previous years, police cars would be parked outside the Bachchan and Kapoor residences on the nights of their Diwali parties. Before the pandemic, big names like Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri would also drop by at Jalsa.

At Ektaa’s Diwali bash, the dazzle in previous years often came from celebrities such as Kriti Sanon and Shraddha Kapoor. Police personnel would be called in to manage the crowds thronging the streets to catch a glimpse of superstars stepping out of their gleaming automobiles and being escorted inside by their personal security.

Now, however, the police are there to disperse crowds, with fears that an intruder could be lurking somewhere.

Who put this dampener on?

Well, it all began after the October 18 shooting incident involving Tiger Shroff, who was playing football at Pushpa Narsee Park, near Juhu Police Station. Tiger escaped with minor injuries, but his driver, Firdaus Ibrahim Baloch, was struck by a bullet in his left hand. Umesh Chavan (Omish Chavan), an autorickshaw driver by profession who was a bystander during the incident that evening, also sustained a bullet wound to his chest.

Four days ago, the scare returned

Last week, 30-year-old Bengaluru-based IT engineer Vaibhav Mishra was arrested by the Mumbai Crime Branch for allegedly threatening Hindi film actors Ayushmann Khurrana and Tusshar Kapoor. Mishra allegedly impersonated a member of the Bishnoi gang and demanded crores of rupees from the actors. A preliminary investigation revealed that Mishra had no connection with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. However, he is being investigated for intimidation and extortion under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act. Following the incident, Tusshar and Ektaa Kapoor were provided with police protection.

Despite the lights shining brightly outside star residences, an atmosphere of disquiet prevails in Juhu's star-studded bylanes.