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Although the creators of Bambai Meri Jaan may insist that their gangster drama is a fictional story, the striking resemblance of the plot to S Hussain Zaidi's Dongri to Dubai: Six Decades of the Mumbai Mafia cannot be dismissed. With multiple versions of the rise of the infamous D Company already available on various online streaming platforms, Amazon Prime Video's latest release, Bambai Meri Jaan, stands out as an excellently executed gangster drama, thanks to the outstanding performances of its lead actors.
This 10-episode crime drama, directed by Shujaat Saudagar, depicts the well-known story of Dawood Ibrahim's ascent in the Mumbai underworld. It also provides insight into his childhood and the life-altering events that blurred his sense of right and wrong. Somewhat fictionalized, Bambai Meri Jaan, also introduces viewers to the notorious trio of Karim Lala, Haji Mastan, and Varadarajan Mudaliar, who controlled Bombay in the 1970s before the rise of a new mafia leader. These characters have been slightly altered as Haji Maqbool (Saurabh Sachdeva), Azeem Pathaan (Nawab Shah), and Anna Mudaliar (Dinesh Prabhakar) in keeping with the premise of Zaidi's book. While Avinash Tiwary portrays the leading role of Dara, it is Kay Kay Menon's portrayal of Ismail Kadri, Dara's father, that captivates the audience.
The show starts with a tense phone conversation between Abdullah (Vivan Bhathena) and Dara. Abdullah warns Dara that the police are coming to arrest him, and time is running out. Dara attempts to escape the country with his family, but his father refuses to leave and instead threatens to kill himself for the role he played in his son's wrongdoing.
In the very next scene, we are transported back to 1965 when Ismail Kadri, an honest police officer, leads a special task force team called the Pathan Squad to stop the terror caused by Haji Maqbool and Azeem Pathaan in Bombay. Kadri's obsession to bring these criminals to justice begins to affect his personal life, and his own son, Dara, becomes involved in a life of crime, going against his father's values. As the story progresses, we witness Kadri's character undergo a significant transformation, going from a proud man with strong principles to someone who is compelled to side with Maqbool and his gang for the sake of his family.
In episode four, a grown-up Dara portrayed by Avinash Tiwary is introduced. Initially, he is a petty swindler, but later on, he goes on to confront Maqbool with his gang which includes his siblings Saadiq (Jitin Gulati), Ajju (Lakshya Kochar), and Habiba (Kritika Kamra), and together they pursue a life of crime with the goal of ruling over Bombay.
In the following episodes, the storyline revolves around Dara's ascent into the criminal underworld. The show also delves into Dara's complicated relationship with his father, who disapproves of his son's rebellious and unlawful actions and tries to distance himself from him. Additionally, the show also introduces a romantic angle, featuring Dara's love interest Pari (Amyra Dastur), who is the daughter of an Iranian cafe owner. Though Dara struggles to express his feelings for Pari, his thirst for power ultimately takes precedence over his love life.
As we approach the final confrontation between Dara and the trio consisting of Haji Maqbool, Azeem Pathaan, and Anna Mudaliar, a new important character named Aditya Rawal as Chota Babban is introduced. The character is said to be inspired by Chhota Rajan. Despite successfully avenging his brother's death by eliminating all those responsible, Dara is eventually compelled to flee Bombay after being cornered by the police.
When Dara and his entourage depart for Dubai, Habiba (played by Kritika Kamra) steps in to take over for her brother while Ismail Kadri witnesses yet another one of his children choosing a life of crime. The last scene takes place in Gujarat, where another gangster involved in Saadiq's demise is killed by a child working at a tea shop on Habiba's order.
