As much as Bollywood fans love an intense love story, their hearts skip a beat when peeking into the lives of morally bankrupt gangsters on the big screen. Over the years, filmmakers such as Ram Gopal Varma, Mahesh Bhatt and Vidhu Vinod Chopra have attempted to spin tawdry tales based on the lives of actual criminals.
The success of films such as Varma’s Vastav: The Reality, the 1999 film that was reportedly inspired by the life of Chhota Rajan, who was arrested by the Indonesian police in Bali this week, and thriller Company, which bears some resemblance into the rise and fall of the partnership between the now-in-custody Rajan and his mentor Dawood Ebrahim, stands testimony to the gangster film genre’s long-enduring appeal.
And there’s more to come: This Thursday, Randeep Hooda plays the real-life criminal Charles Sobraj in the film Main Aur Charles; meanwhile, actress Sonakshi Sinha is all set to play a gangster’s sister in director Apoorva Lakhia’s next film.
“The fascination for crime in films is not just a Bollywood phenomenon. The American gangsters have fuelled the Hollywood industry for years and some of their best films are gangster films. The Godfather still remains the best piece of art. Any filmmaker who lives in a city has to explore its dark, underbelly... All the human values take a backseat in a city where it’s survival of the fittest and Bombay had some bitter, painful experience with the world of organised crime. So the fascination will remain,” said Bhatt, in an interview with tabloid!. Bhatt wrote and co-produced the 2006 blockbuster Gangster, which was rumoured to be based on real-life gangster Abu Salem and his actress-girlfriend Monica Bedi.
The list is long (think Gangs Of Wasseypur, Maqbool, Shootout At Wadala), but we have handpicked five compelling gangster dramas to come out of Bollywood
Parinda (1989)
Stars: Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Nana Patekar and Madhuri Dixit
Here’s the perfect example of the villain walking away with top honours in a film essentially filled with good-hearted blokes. Actor Nana Patekar is splendid as Anna Seth, the volatile, fire-phobic Mumbai underworld gang leader. Seth’s manic determination to destroy anyone who resists him was beautifully captured in this tale of two brothers (Jackie Shroff and Anil Kapoor played tight-knit brothers Kishen and Karan). Kishen joins the underworld, in order to give a better life to his younger brother Karan. Karan is blissfully unaware of his brother’s shady dealings. This violent blockbuster, which is believed to be a defining film in depicting Mumbai’s dark underbelly, won two National Awards and was India’s official entry to the 1990 Oscars.
Company (2002)
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Vivek Oberoi and Mohanlal
If you need a crash course on the inner workings of a mafia organisation, then look no further than director Ram Gopal Verma’s Company.
Dangerously close to what happened in real life gangsters Dawood Ibrahim and his recruit-turned-rival Chotta Rajan — Company is gloriously gory and unapologetically romanticises the world of extortion and murder. The dialogue “sab ganda hai par dhanda hai ye” (things are dirty, but it’s still our business) sums up the film. Apart from stellar performances from Devgn and Oberoi, who play mafia kingpins Malik and Chandu, watch out for South Indian megastar Mohanlal. He plays a sly police officer who manipulates the rivalry between two mafia leaders. Here’s a film that sells the dysfunctional dream that fear and intimidation are essential to become overnight millionaires in Mumbai.
D Day (2013)
Stars: Arjun Rampal, Rishi Kapoor and Shruti Hassan
Director Nikhil Advani, who’s best known for the glossy romantic drama Kal Ho Na Ho, surprised us with this intense action thriller. There were no flashy cars or overt glorification of gangsters in this film; instead the life of Indian spies is explored with searing intensity.
It follows a covert mission led by Indian spies in Pakistan to nab Goldman, India’s Most Wanted Criminal. Played by Rishi Kapoor, Goldman — we are told — is a fugitive, living in Karachi with his wife and children. Goldman, who bears an uncanny resemblance to the dreaded criminal Dawood Ebrahim, is believed have slithered his way into Pakistan and the film reveals the painstaking, patient way in which Indian spies have been trying to pull him from his hide-out. Fortunately, Advani did not reduce D-Day into a chest-thumping jingoism, despite dealing with a story set in Pakistan, India’s long-time rival.
Kaminey (2009)
Stars: Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra
It’s a bizarre, convoluted drama about twin brothers who detest each other, played fabulously by Shahid Kapoor. Charlie (the evil one) has stumbled upon a guitar filled with cocaine belonging to mafia henchman Bhope (Amol Gupte), while the other twin, Guddu, has just realized that he has knocked up Bhope’s sister (Priyanka Chopra). They are both on the run. The plot is wickedly confusing as the film takes you into the shabby lanes of modern Mumbai and the brutal men living there. Filled with unexpected twists, this is a dark drama by Vishal Bharadwaj that calls for your undivided attention.
Gangster (2006)
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Shiney Ahuja and Emraan Hashmi
Many believed that this action thriller was based on the personal life of gangster Abu Salem and his actress-girlfriend Monica Bedi. While director Anurag Basu has repeatedly denied that charge, there’s no denying the excitement that you feel while watching this thriller filled with deceitful men and women. Ranaut, as an alcoholic trying to recover from a toxic relationship with a gangster (Ahuja), is a treat to watch. This is not your typical violent film — it’s all heart and less guns.
