I am a master in India

Chapter 190 Everyone gets what they need
After being released from prison, Ron took old Dutt to Thackeray's villa.

He called Thackeray before he left, and Thackeray agreed to the meeting.

Old Dutt didn't leave empty-handed; he had a suitcase in the trunk of his car.

It's not a backpack or a suitcase, but a large canvas bag for long-distance travel.

In addition to these, Duterte made several phone calls, determined to satisfy Thackeray's vanity.

For his son, he risked his reputation.

As the car drove along the seaside promenade, a huge movie poster ahead caught Ron's eye.

That is Sanjay's new movie "The Villain," which was released this year and has already grossed over 2 million rupees.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, this will be the highest-grossing film of the year.

Sanjay plays a hitman hired by the mob, and the movie's promotional poster reads: "A perfect portrayal of 'Léon: The Professional'."

Ironically, this "hitman" is in jail, while they are on their way to bail him out.

This was the peak of his acting career, and this guy was just too unlucky.

Ron felt no guilt whatsoever about rescuing someone like that.

Which member of parliament in Uttar Pradesh isn't a murderer? Compared to them, Sanjay is nothing.

The car drove through the gates of the Thackeray villa, and after undergoing a security check, Ron led old Dutt into the living room.

Thackeray was waiting there, and when he saw the large suitcase in old Dutt's hand, a smug smile appeared on his face.

“Sir, I was wrong before!” Old Dutt bent down, touching the big foot in front of him, and said while crying.

Thackeray was startled by his actions, then an extreme sense of pleasure welled up from the bottom of his heart, almost making him groan out loud.

“You shouldn’t sympathize with those herders.” Thackeray remained seated.

"Yes, I was blinded by them before, but now I see clearly," old Dutt said, sobbing uncontrollably.

“Sit down.” Thackeray patted his shoulder, completing his blessing.

"I saw Madam as soon as I entered the door. She made me realize all of this."

Old Dutt rose and bowed with his palms together in front of the portrait of Thackeray's deceased wife in the living room.

Just when Thackeray thought the two were about to get down to business, Duterte's next move left him speechless.

He took the oil lamp from his attendant, lit it, and walked step by step to the portrait.

He made a whimpering sound, holding an oil lamp and circling it clockwise in front of the portrait, muttering incantations.

"What are you doing?" It took Thackeray a long time to react.

“I am praying for the lady’s forgiveness, for it was she who brought me to my senses in time. I am praying for her to protect my son, who has been framed and is now suffering needlessly in prison.”

Old Dutt wept bitterly, his expression devout as if he were speaking to a god.

Thackeray turned his head, his gaze questioning.

Ron, standing to the side, shrugged, indicating that he was doing it himself.

Well, Thackeray felt relieved.

Just as he was about to speak, a servant came to report that two producers had arrived.

They were looking for old Deutsche Welle; a film urgently needed his decision.

Thackeray waved his hand, telling the two producers to wait outside.

"Dute, you can come and sit down now."

After watching Old Dutt's fire ritual, Thackeray finally leaned back on the sofa, completely satisfied.

“No, sir, I must pay my respects to Madam more than enough.” Old Dutt wept as he circled Thackeray’s wife’s portrait again and again.

There were already seven or eight producers waiting for him outside. They were anxiously pacing around, but dared not come in to disturb him.

“Alright, now we can talk about your son.” Thackeray sensed his sincerity.

"You've gone to so much trouble." Old Dutt wiped his eyes and handed the oil lamp to his attendant.

"Those guys in the court really made a stupid judgment. They convicted me based on just a disassembled rifle. It's ridiculous."

"With so many herder gangs in Mumbai, which one doesn't have a gun? Why don't they prosecute those people?"

Thackeray and the Mumbai courts were also at odds, with Judge Patel not only relentlessly pursuing the bombing case but also pressing on the atrocities committed by Shiva's army at the end of December last year.

This thoroughly enraged Thackeray, but Shiva's army couldn't get into the courts; that was a different system.

“Sir, you’re right. Sanjay was completely framed by Kamal. He had nothing to do with it; he was filming abroad when the explosion happened,” Old Dutt hurriedly explained.

“I heard about your competition with Camar. That guy is definitely unreliable,” Thackeray nodded.

He had no fondness for the Congress Party members, and whether or not the person in front of him included depended entirely on the sincerity in his pocket.

"Only you can save him. That child has never done anything bad. He wouldn't even step on an ant normally."

“I’ll call the police station, and your son will be home tomorrow,” Thackeray waved dismissively.

He certainly has the right to say that; in all of Mumbai, only Thackeray is above the law.

“Sir.” Old Dutt was about to cry again.

Luckily, Ron gave him a wink, telling him to stop while he was ahead, buddy.

Next, Ron acted as a go-between, and Old Dutter shared a lot of inside stories from the entertainment industry, which made Thackeray laugh heartily.

Thackeray is a typical Mumbai resident: entertainment first, politics second.

If the Indian Grand Marshal were to come, he would not come out to greet him. But if Amitabh Bachchan were to come, he would certainly make time for him and be full of anticipation.

This is why he agreed to help; Old Dute was a legendary Indian actor and director. Thackeray was very pleased that this influential Bollywood figure was so subservient to him.

The three chatted and laughed for a while before Ron led old Dutt away from Thackeray's villa.

"Mr. Suer, Sanjay's rescue is all thanks to you." He sincerely thanked you as he returned to his car.

“The person Sanjay should really thank is you, his father.” Ron waved, signaling the driver to start the car.

"He should have learned his lesson this time," sighed old Dutt.

He only had one son and one daughter. But the Dut family line ultimately had to be carried on by a man, so old Dutt had to run around doing all sorts of things for him.

“I don’t plan to make any more movies. I have a few projects here that have great potential. I’ve heard about your Sun Entertainment company. If you’re interested, you can invest in these.”

Old Dutter handed Ron a document containing film scripts he had carefully selected. Based on his years of experience in the industry, making a profit wouldn't be difficult.

"Mr. Dute, are you planning to..."

"I will focus on public service; I don't have the energy to deal with Bollywood anymore." He has made up his mind.

Sanjay's case served as a wake-up call for him: in India, if you want to gain power, you have to get involved in politics.

So what if he's rich? He's made so many movies over the years, his family's wealth is more than enough to support several generations.

In the end, he still had to go to his former mortal enemy and bow down to touch his feet.

This is a great humiliation for him, and only politics can wash it away.

The film project that Old Deutsche Welle gave to Ron was his thank-you gift.

Although he was preparing to retire from the entertainment industry, his status and connections remained. With just a word, Ron could become a financier for these films.

Very good, everyone got what they needed, and a bond of kinship was left behind.

Ron received the documents, glanced at them briefly, and then put them away with satisfaction.

With all the big directors and big stars, this kind of movie has a very high chance of becoming a huge hit.

Low-budget films are easy to make a profit, but most of the time they only earn small amounts of money, and they don't always have the good luck of films like "In Praise of Mother".

To truly become a mainstream force in Bollywood, participating in these big-budget productions is an essential step.

Sun Entertainment has moved fast enough; it was founded less than a year ago.

Being an investor in Bollywood is a completely different experience from Hollywood across the ocean.

From its inception to the present, the Indian government has never really looked down on the film industry.

It categorizes entertainment as a second-tier industry, giving it a lower priority than even a small factory.

Under strict government restrictions, producers cannot obtain loans from national banks.

Without money, you can't make movies.

Producers had to seek private funding, which was no easy task either.

With the government taking the lead, businessmen outside the industry are also very cautious about investing in films.

Ultimately, the gangsters took on the role of producers.

Gangs have large amounts of illicit money that they don't pay taxes on and cannot deposit in banks.

Investing in movies is a very attractive business; a blockbuster movie can not only make you a fortune, but also launder your money.

Killing two birds with one stone, gangs began a large-scale invasion of Bollywood starting in the 80s.

With this influx of capital, Bollywood has experienced rapid growth in recent years.

With one movie after another grossing over 100 million yuan, more and more people are flocking to the entertainment industry.

Nowadays, films produced by well-known directors are not short of funds; many people are lining up to send them money.

Ron was able to get a personal promise from Old Dutt, which was tantamount to taking a shortcut.

However, having been influenced by gangs for so long, Bollywood has never been able to shake off their shadow.

These people are quick to take the money, but there's a chilling rule to the game: you can only make money, you can't lose it.

If you take money from the mob and several of your movies flop, losing your life is a common occurrence.

Over time, Bollywood producers became extremely respectful to investors, fearing they might offend someone they shouldn't.

“You never know who you’re talking to because nobody has their name written on their forehead,” said a seasoned producer.

Given this atmosphere, it's not surprising that Bollywood investors can interfere with film production.

In short, they wield immense power and influence.

Do you really have that kind of good deal in Hollywood? It's entirely possible for investors to get ripped off completely.

Ron got what he wanted, so his trip wasn't in vain.

With the tiger himself speaking, a reversal of Sanjay Dutt's verdict is unlikely, but bail should be no problem.

What's the difference between bail and release from prison for wealthy people?
Expecting India's judicial system to hold Sanjay accountable again? Don't be naive. Mumbai courts have a mountain of cases that have been piling up for over two decades.

Many of the parties involved have already died, and the case files are still gathering dust.

However, what Ron didn't know was that Thackeray had indeed spoken, but this time it failed him.

Aije Lal, that reckless fool, refused the tiger's order to release it.

He was the only person in Mumbai who dared to disregard Thackeray's orders.

Thackeray was furious.

(End of this chapter)