The Nawazuddin Siddiqui Call Data Records (CDR) case being investigated by the Thane Crime Branch has opened a political can of worms. Bollywood, which is monitoring the drama involving the actor, his wife Anjali and lawyer Rizwan Siddiqui, is concerned that this controversy might affect Nawaz’s opportunity to play the role of a lifetime in the biopic Thackeray on late Shiv Sena supremo Balasaheb Thackeray.

Nawaz got embroiled in the case when the Thane police arrested 11 private detectives for illegally sourcing CDRs of people for their clients. These are usually cases of infidelity, blackmail and industrial espionage. India’s first woman private detective Rajani Pandit was also arrested in this connection. One of the accused reportedly told the police that the advocate Rizwan had obtained the CDR of Anjali on behalf of the actor. The police summoned Nawaz and Anjali for questioning but the couple has yet to go.

Anjali was quick to rise to her husband’s defence despite allegations that he was spying on her and told the media, “All allegations against Nawaz are false and baseless. He is being targeted because he is a celebrity.” The couple has been married for 15 years and has two children. However, advocate Rizwan was arrested by the Thane Crime Branch yesterday for his role in the CDR racket. He was also summoned to give his statement but when Rizwan failed to go, the police arrested him at his house last evening.

RECOMMENDED READ: UPDATE: NAWAZUDDIN HAS NO DIRECT ROLE IN THE CDR CASE, SAYS POLICE

Meanwhile, Thane Police Commissioner Parambir Singh surprisingly told the media that Nawaz had no direct role to play in the CDR case but was being summoned as a witness and had assured the police of cooperation in their investigation. There are two stories doing the rounds about two phone calls that were allegedly made to the Thane police. One by the Mumbai strongman of a saffron political party reportedly not to spare Nawaz so as to sabotage the Thackeray biopic being made by Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut. And the other, also by a saffron political party chief, supposedly to exonerate Nawaz in the case because he was acting in Thackeray.