S. Hussain Zaidi’s book “Dongri to Dubai: Six Decades of Mumbai Mafia”
Attempting to chronicle the history of the Mumbai mafia, S. Hussain Zaidi, a Mumbai-based journalist started writing a small biography. It eventually became a 408-page book titled Dongri to Dubai: Six Decades of Mumbai Mafia. Last month, Roli Books launched the sixth reprint of the book in the Capital at CMYK book store, followed by a reading and a discussion on the fascinating account of Dawood Ibrahim’s transformation from neighbourhood thug to a global gangster between Vikram Sood (Vice President, Center for International Relations), Harinder Baweja (Hindustan Times Editor, Investigations) and Hussain. “It is the result of seven years of research, writing and travelling,” says the author.
Dongri to Dubai is a solid documentation of absconders like Haji Mastan, Karim Lala, Varadaraja Mudaliar, Chhota Rajan, Abu Salem but above all, it is the story of a young man, Dawoood Ibrahim who went astray despite having a father in the police force. Ibrahim was initiated into crime as a pawn in the hands of the Mumbai police and went on to wipe out the competition eventually becoming the Mumbai police’s own nemesis.
Hussain calls his work authentic as the information is collected from people who have contacts with the underworld. Hussain, a veteran of investigative, crime and terror reporting in Mumbai, has earlier written bestsellers like Black Friday and the Mafia Queens of Mumbai. Both the books were made into films. “Even Dongri to Dubai has a cinematic connection, 10 of its chapters will be used in the screenplay of a forthcoming film by Sanjay Gupta, Shootout at Wadala which is expected to be released in 2013,” says Hussain.
Keywords: Hussain Zaidi’s book, Mumbai Mafia
