Mumbai is the financial capital of our country. In a city where money speaks louder, there will always be a war for power and an eternal thirst for wealth. Both incite violence. Among those who want both and between those who vow to bring law and order to the states. Mumbai Mafia is a gripping documentary. A bloody phase in the history of Mumbai, when violence and bloodshed became a daily occurrence. One gang that features in every hit list is the D-Company. Headed by the terrifying Dawood Ibrahim who rose to power by eliminating his rivals, one bullet by bullet, one bloody murder by murder. His ex-gang member Shyam Kishore claims, that at any given point in time, Dawood had around 25000 people on his payroll. With that many men at your beck and call, ready to even kill for you, it's not surprising Ibrahim rose to be undefeatable. But those who dared to face him were the police officers of Mumbai. These officers were thrust with the responsibility to catch these criminals. But when their tactics of catching them alive failed, they too had to resort to violence. Coming with their side of the story, we see veteran police officers, and encounter specialists like Pradeep Sharma, Ravindra Angre, and their Additional Commissioner AA Khan ( appearing in one of his last interviews). When AA Khan was heading the team to get hold of the gangsters, and ultimately Dawood Ibrahim, their bullets spoke more than their words. Remorse is hard to come by, but where AA Khan understands the implications of what he did, many of his subordinates still feel they needed the right to shoot first and question later. Writers and journalists like Minty Tejpal, Hussain Zaidi ( whose books have served as content for various gangster movies), and Puja Changiowala provide first-hand accounts of the shootings and killings. Lives were lost. On both sides, families were torn apart, orphans were born, and people lost their lives and livelihoods. Those responsible have either fled the country or have retired and living comfortably on their government pensions. But where does morality stand? With shredded clothes, battle-earned wounds, and tear-stained cheeks, who will be answerable to her?
Mumbai Mafia does not spend a lot of time answering burning questions about the morality of it all or even the present location of Dawood Ibrahim, but it does a great job of using all shades of crimson to paint Mumbai's past.
By SB
