Chapter 230 New Trouble
"What business?" Ron asked.
"The Imperial Palace!"
"What?" Ron thought he had misheard.
“Man, I know you just started a war. That palace hurt Anand so badly, it’s okay for you to do that.
But this is Mumbai, people need a palace, people need a place like that to do business, this is a great opportunity!"
"This business is not as easy as you think," Ron reminded.
"I know. I need reliable connections." Luca looked at him.
"Wait, what are you planning?"
"I want to buy that land." Luca said with a firm look.
"The Imperial Palace?"
"Yes, it's become a ruin. No one cares about it, and it's a lot of work just to tear it down."
"So you want to take advantage of the opportunity and then build a palace?" Ron looked strange.
"Quite feasible, isn't it? This has to be done quickly."
"I went to meet Thackeray, the Shiv Sena boss. He said he hated the palace so much that the Shiv Sena would destroy it even if I didn't do anything."
"Oh! It sounds scary, but my palace is different." Luca was confident.
"How do you say that?"
“Madam Elizabeth went too far. Some people liked her jaw-dropping tricks, while others hated them.
I bet the girls there hate her, which is not good. I won't be so obvious and I will give both parties more options."
"You want to do a business that's mutually agreed upon?"
"Yes, I want to build a luxurious nightclub. The girls are multi-talented and can sing and dance, and the guests can choose the shows themselves.
I make the place so hot that men can't help but pay for it. The place is clean and doesn't provide that kind of service, but customers can ask girls out and no one cares."
"Sounds a bit like a bar." Ron said, stroking his chin.
"It's more high-end, there are entry barriers, and the girls are still mostly foreigners."
"Do you really want to do this business?"
"Merck's approach is not safe. I need to be more prepared."
Although the Brazilian base was destroyed, there was still a lot of money in the account of Luca International Bank.
He couldn't just spend all his money, so out of normal business thinking, he wanted to make his money work.
"If you're sure you want to do that, I can ask for you." Ron stopped persuading him.
"That's it, man! People are going to love it. Mumbai can't live without sex."
Luca decided to stay in Mumbai for the time being, at least to avoid the spotlight for a while. He was unfamiliar with South Africa, and if he went there with money, he might be robbed.
We have to wait, at least until we gain a foothold in Mumbai, and then return to South Africa or Brazil.
Now he needs to find a new way, a way that can make money and build his network.
Businesses like bars and nightclubs are very suitable for him to invest in. They don't require a lot of professionalism, but there is no shortage of potential consumer groups.
The only problem was connections, so he came to Ron.
"By the way, is this your future house? That's damn cool!"
"We just settled down. The previous place was too small."
"Wow! Very good, very good."
Luca was very envious. He lived in an apartment in Mumbai. After deciding to stay, he also became interested in the villa.
He will probably live here for a long time in the future, so he should consider real estate and other things.
But you have to make money first. Without money, you can't do anything.
Ron agreed to help him apply for the land, the site of the royal palace, from the Mumbai government.
Mrs. Elizabeth became history, and in the absence of an heir, the land returned to the Bombay government.
They would be happy to resell it because it would cost a fortune just to demolish the building.
If someone takes over, not only can you get rid of the trouble, but you can also get a reward. Why not do it?
It sounds ironic to destroy a palace and then rebuild another one.
But no one cares, Mumbai is a city of money and money is God.
The highest state of being a human being is selflessness, but unfortunately most people cannot do it.
Ron can't do it, Luca can't do it, and the gang can't do it.
Well, after finishing the villa, Ron had to deal with another problem.
Chopra, the director of "Love in the Time of War", is in trouble, and the problem comes from the gangs.
One day, after finishing his filming, he was getting out of the car and walking towards the office when he suddenly heard a "click" sound not far behind him.
He turned his head and was horrified. It turned out that the killer had shot at him, but the gun had jammed.
A terrified Chopra rushed into the office, his intuition telling him that this was a warning.
Sure enough, a phone call soon followed: "This is just a preview, the main film is about to begin."
Chopra probably guessed what was going on and wanted to ask the police for help, but that wasn't enough to guarantee his safety, as the police couldn't stay by his side 24 hours a day.
Upon learning the news, Mary immediately suggested that Chopra call Ron, saying that they could not rely entirely on the police to deal with gang matters.
When Ron arrived at the Bollywood Film City, the indoor scenes of "Love in the Time of War" were being filmed there.
From a distance, Chopra's voice, booming louder and louder through a megaphone, could be heard: "Quiet!"
The air conditioning on the huge studio set was turned up high, and everyone was wearing sweaters, but people still sneezed from time to time.
In addition to the regular cast and crew, there were also extras, temporary replacements, and those who were just there to watch the fun. The scene was packed with people, even on the rooftop and on the catwalk.
Unless they block the camera, no one drives them away or pays any attention to them.
Ron quietly asked Mary if they really needed so many people, as they only had thirty or forty people when they were filming The Darling.
Mary shrugged. "There won't be another crew like Durga Puja, and this time we're shooting a blockbuster."
In Bollywood, it takes three people to manage a light, and the crew would like to have a studio for each prop.
In addition, government officials frequently visited the set. The secretary of the Ministry of Education once came with his family and helped Chopra's children get enrolled.
There are many relationships that you cannot and should not refuse.
In India, an official's privileges allow him to enter and exit important places at any time.
Ron didn't disturb Chopra, who was multitasking, doing three things at the same time: making a phone call, reading about the movie, and answering questions from his assistant.
On the other hand, Manisha's watery eyes kept turning on him.
She had not received any gifts from the sun god for a long time and she was in urgent need of the nourishment of faith.
"Even the male cockroach in the corner can understand the hungry look in that bitch's eyes." Lena couldn't help but make sarcastic remarks.
"This is a photography city, please keep your voice down." Ron reminded her helplessly.
As he was speaking, Chopra had already put down what he was doing and walked over.
"You should have just stopped me, Ron."
"You look very busy. You should get two more assistants."
"I'm worried," Chopra sighed. "Others will definitely just muddle through."
He and Ron had met twice and were quite familiar with each other.
"Mary said you were in trouble."
"Well, you know, that movie music cassette thing."
"I heard it's related to a record company?"
"Someone interfered. Do the Nadeem-Selawan duo know about this?"
"That duo band, their cassettes are said to be selling well." Ron raised his eyebrows.
The Nadeem Seirawan duo is extremely popular right now. The music cassettes they released two years ago sold over 20 million copies, which is terrifying.
"I asked them to record a song, and the matter originally ended there. T-Series Records, the company behind them, was also willing to discuss copyright issues with us.
Then band member Nadim suddenly told me that the deal couldn't be done, saying he had another company he could recommend. It was a small company and the price was very low.
"I suppose that little company is no ordinary one?" asked Ron.
"Yeah, it's what you think, gang. Another company behind it even invested in the movie."
"What?" Ron's head was a little confused.
"This is the norm in Bollywood," Chopra shrugged. "Gangsters are involved in film investment. I just didn't expect Nadeem to have connections with them. He betrayed us."
As mentioned before, most Bollywood films these days cannot get bank loans and have to rely on private investment.
Because banks neither understand nor trust Bollywood, the amount of money required to make a movie is huge, not to mention that the film company may be shooting several movies at the same time.
It often takes several years to recoup the investment, and if the movie is not a box office hit, the situation is bound to be even worse.
Who would have so much spare cash? Only the mafia.
They also enjoyed seeing dirty money laundered through the operation of color film, with a box office hit earning four times its investment within a month of its release.
Therefore, for gangs, film investment is the fastest way to convert illegal income into legal profits.
It is no exaggeration to say that without the funding of the mafia, India's film industry would collapse in an instant.
Filmmakers will have to rely on the mercy of banks and stockbrokers, whose film tastes will naturally be very different from those of gangsters.
Without the funding from the mafia, the dreams of Indian filmmakers would not be so grand, violent and passionate.
Chopra's fame allowed him to raise enough funds without the help of gangsters.
But in order to avoid trouble from the gangs, he still accepted part of the investment from them.
This is also the norm in Bollywood, people sit in a row, share the fruit and everyone gets something to eat.
However, the mafia rarely interferes with the production of films that are not led by them, and it is rare for them to ask for the copyright of the music cassette.
"There are rumors that the Nadeem-Sairawan duo has close ties with the Dawood gang. You know, they are all herdsmen," Chopra explained.
"Why would they do that?"
"It's said that there was a copyright dispute between the two and T-Series Records. They simply encouraged a leader of the Dawood Gang to seize the music rights. The two parties must have reached a private agreement."
"He's a traitor," Ron tutted.
“People are greedy and always want more.”
"So, if Nadeem hadn't intervened, we would have reached a cooperation with T-Series Records?"
"T-Series is the largest music distributor in India and they are willing to pay 300 million rupees to buy our music copyright."
"How much?" Ron gasped.
"300 million rupees. We were almost done with it." Chopra gestured.
"So, our movie isn't even finished, and it hasn't even been released yet, but it's already profitable?"
"The premise is that the deal is done and the Dawood Gang does not interfere." Chopra sighed.
He almost lost his life two days ago because he rejected the offer from that small record company.
"I'll talk!" Ron decided.
He is a vulgar man who loves money especially.
(End of this chapter)
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