Who is Karim Morani?

With Karim Morani’s arrest in the 2G scam yesterday, another Bollywood court and jail drama ensues. But not everyone knows who the Morani brothers are. Bollywood’s filmi galas, weddings and stage shows are incomplete without the Morani brothers – Aly, Karim and Mohammad – the super trio of show business. Amir Morani, the eldest brother, after whom their business, Amir Fireworks was named in 1937, has retired and is no longer a partner in the troubled Cineyug Films launched in 1997. [caption id=“attachment_18212” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Cineyug Films landed in rough waters when the CBI uncovered its links with Swan Telecom and Dynamix Realty, both involved in the 2G spectrum allocation scam. PTI”]  [/caption] Cineyug Films landed in rough waters when the CBI uncovered its links with Swan Telecom and Dynamix Realty, both involved in the 2G spectrum allocation scam. The CBI, in its second charge sheet alleged that the promoters of these companies, Shahid Balwa and Vinod Goenka, used Cineyug Films to funnel funds worth Rs 200 crore into the DMK-managed Kalaignar TV. Its founder Karim Morani was the one who facilitated the transfer. The Morani brothers have seen tremendous rise. Aly, Karim and Mohammad worked their way into the glamour industry by turning Cineyug into an indispensable force in Bollywood. Bunty Soorma was the fourth partner in Cineyug but after his death in March 2002, the Morani brothers maintained their partnership by bringing his wife, Neelam, on board. Despite the flamboyance their work requires, the brothers are quite understated outside the professional realm. Cineyug manages, scripts, directs and coordinates ad films, live concerts and stage shows in India and abroad. Almost all the actors swear by the brothers. The biggest endorsement of all comes from Shah Rukh Khan on their website:

“Cineyug as an entertainment company to me is like a family whether it is Mohammad Morani, Karim, Aly or Bunty Soorma … The company works together as a whole and is one of the most professional units I have worked for the last ten years. Cineyug is about how well they manage things wonderfully when things have gone wrong…”