# Filmmaker Shakeel Noorani held for rape, blackmail of aspiring actress 2026-08-09T19:42:11+00:00 | India | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Producer-director Shakeel Noorani (73) was arrested on Saturday from a farmhouse in Mahabaleshwar after being on the run for 40 days. He is accused of repeatedly raping an aspiring actress over four years, drugging her drink, threatening to release videos of the assault, and inducing a miscarriage. The Times of India reports that the Malwani police produced him before a court, which remanded him in police custody till August 12. Sections of rape, criminal intimidation, and causing miscarriage under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita have been invoked. In her complaint, the woman said Noorani called her to his residence under the pretext of discussing a film script, spiked her drink, and assaulted her. She alleges he later used a video of the assault to blackmail and rape her repeatedly. Noorani’s lawyer told TOI that his client has been falsely implicated and declined further comment. Noorani is known for films such as ‘Shreeman Aashique’ and ‘Bade Dilwala’. ## Coverage - timesofindia.indiatimes.com - bollywoodlife.com Tags: aspiring actress, blackmail, Bollywood, Mumbai, rape case, Shakeel Noorani Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/filmmaker-shakeel-noorani-arrested-for-rape-blackmail-of-aspiring-actress/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/filmmaker-shakeel-noorani-arrested-for-rape-blackmail-of-aspiring-actress/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.