PLOT
‘Mumbai Mafia – Police vs the Underworld’ examines how the city’s police responded to the threat during the era’s criminal activity in the 1980s and 1990s. In addition, it shows the consequences of the actions.
REVIEW
This compelling documentary depicts the scope of organized crime in the city in the 1980s and 1990s and brings the glitter and muck of Mumbai to the forefront. During that period, the underworld held the city captive, which inspired fear and terror. Interviews with well-known individuals, including former police officers Pradeep Sharma and Ravindra Angre, former police assistant commissioner A. A. Khan, Shyam Kishore, and an ex-member of the D company, provide insight into the inner workings of the D-gang.
The D-company functioned on a vast scale and had approximately 25000 workers on its payroll. Dawood Ibrahim went to the top of his field by eliminating his competitors. In addition, the D-expansion company’s into the worlds of smuggling, extortion, murder, gambling, cricket corruption, and the film industry are also discussed. This in-depth documentary is enhanced by the opinions, firsthand accounts, and voices of crime reporters Minty Tejpal, Hussain Zaidi, and Puja Changoiwala.
Investigating depths of research and archival material, “Mumbai Mafia” brings us the real-life occurrences and media clippings of police shoot-outs, which have fueled the subject of many Bollywood movies. It resulted in the deaths of feared gangsters Maya Dolas and Dawood’s aide, Dilip Buwa.
The big turning point occurred after the 1993 Mumbai bombings and the 1992–1993 riots, when the police were given full restraint to control Dawood’s gang. A choice that has a tremendous impact on the Mumbai police and the professional paths of three of the city’s most well-known encounter specialists, Pradeep Sharma, Vijay Salaskar, and Ravindra Angre.
There is fallout and outcome when the police decide to clean up the city on their own, upending the D-basis company’s in the process.
To put together a captivating documentary, directors Francis Longhurst and Raaghav Dar tell it like it is utilizing first-person accounts and archive material. The intriguing background music and gritty, grainy re-dramatizations of several scenes bring the atmosphere of the 1980s and 1990s to life.
However, in several instances, the documentary spreads itself too thin to cover many topics, leaving some strands hanging and unbalancing the story. The underworld of Mumbai has long drawn filmmakers to the subject, and with “Mumbai Mafia – Police vs the Underworld,” the producers succeed in revealing some of the chilling and captivating tales behind “the country’s hub of organized crime.”
RATING- Three out of five stars.
Francis Longhurst and Raghav Dar are in charge of directing it. It is made under the umbrella of Minnow Films by Sobhi Gupta and Batul Mukhthiar. A.A. Khan, Minty Tejpal, Puja Changoiwala, Shyam Kishore, Alex Perry, and Pradeep Sharma all have significant roles in the movie. Beginning January 6, 2023, it was available on Netflix.
