Hegde on Baba Siddique’s deep connection with Bollywood

Senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader

Baba Siddique

passed away on Saturday after being shot multiple times by unidentified assailants. The attack occurred near the office of his son,

Zeeshan Siddique

, in Bandra East. Baba Siddique, who sustained critical gunshot wounds to his chest and abdomen, was rushed to Lilavati Hospital but succumbed to his injuries.
Bollywood stars Sanjay Dutt and Salman Khan, both known for their close ties with Baba Siddique, were spotted arriving at the hospital soon after the news broke.

Sanjay Dutt, one of the first visitors, was followed by Salman Khan. Former MLA

Krishna Hegde

, who had worked closely with Siddique for the past 35 years, also arrived to pay his respects.
Speaking to ETimes, Krishna Hegde shared insights into Baba Siddique’s deep connection with Bollywood, which began through his close relationship with the late Sunil Dutt. Hegde recalled, “I’ve known him for the last 35 years. When he was a kid, he used to visit my bungalow because my father was the General Secretary of the Mumbai Congress. Later, he became a corporator, then an MLA, and eventually a minister. So, I’ve personally worked with him for 35 years. We worked very closely with Sunil Dutt, along with others. If anyone was loyal to Sunil Dutt until the end, it was the two of us.”
“Baba Siddique later shifted his party to Ajit Pawar, just as I moved to Eknath Shinde. This incident is very unfortunate, but there’s no law-and-order issue in Mumbai—it seems more like a rivalry over an SRA project,” he added.

Hegde also spoke about Siddique’s strong ties with prominent film stars, including Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan. He explained how Siddique, along with him, played a key role in bringing Bollywood and the political community together in Mumbai.
“Baba was first close to Sunil Dutt and later with Sanjay Dutt and Priya Dutt. Like many of us, he had close ties with their family. He was also close to Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan. In fact, many stars like Hrithik Roshan, Govinda, and Ajay Devgn attended events he organized. We were the two political figures who brought the film industry and politics together in the Mumbai suburbs. He focused on Bandra, and I on Vile Parle,” he shared. Siddique’s grand Iftar parties, which later shifted to the Taj Hotel, became a prominent annual event attended by top Bollywood personalities.

Baba Siddique’s close connections with the film industry, especially his bond with the Dutts, Salman Khan, and Shah Rukh Khan, cemented his position as a bridge between politics and Bollywood, a role he maintained until his tragic death.