Public prosecutor calls Nadeem Saifi the 'mastermind' behind Gulshan Kumar’s murder, hints at possible singer rivalry as a motive

The assassination of T-Series founder Gulshan Kumar in broad daylight in 1997 remains one of Bollywood’s most chilling incidents. At a time when whispers of the film industry’s links with the underworld were just beginning to surface, no one expected a prominent producer to be killed so openly. During the investigation, the name of music composer Nadeem Saifi, of the Nadeem-Shravan duo, emerged as a key suspect. He soon fled the country, leaving many questions unanswered.

Nikam calls Nadeem the “mastermind”

In a recent interview with Shubhankar Mishra, public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam spoke openly about Nadeem’s alleged involvement. When asked if Nadeem was behind Gulshan Kumar’s murder, Nikam said,

“Yes, he was. That’s why he is not coming back. He is not facing the trial. Why else would he not face the trial?”

Nikam revealed that Nadeem, who lived in the UK for years and now resides in Dubai, had at one point expressed a desire to return. “He had a proposal that I want to come back, I said, ‘Sure, come back and face the trial.’ He doesn’t want to,” Nikam said, adding, “When we tried to extradite him from London, we spoke to him then.”

Was it about a musical rivalry?

When asked why Gulshan Kumar was killed, Nikam hinted at a professional rivalry between singers associated with the two music houses.

“Anuradha Paudwal inki singer thi, Alka Yagnik unki singer thi. Bas (Anuradha Paudwal was Gulshan Kumar’s singer, Alka Yagnik was Nadeem-Shravan’s singer. That’s it),” he said.

He added that police believed Nadeem was the key conspirator behind the killing.

“Police believe it was Nadeem. He conspired. Police believe that the conspiracy to murder was done on Nadeem’s orders and the conspiracy happened in Dubai,” Nikam explained.

Nadeem Saifi maintains innocence

After leaving India in the late 1990s, Nadeem continued to work in the film industry from abroad, though several of his compositions went uncredited. Despite Nikam’s claims, Nadeem has consistently denied any involvement. In a past interview with ETimes, he said his name surfaced due to a misunderstanding that later spiralled out of control.

“I was like a younger brother to Papaji (the late Gulshan Kumar),” Nadeem said. “Someone who entertained India and Asians across the globe... this is the biggest injustice done to me.”



He also expressed his wish to return to India to clear his name once and for all.