Mafia Queens of Mumbai and other such books that introduce you to the city's underbelly

Mafia Queens of Mumbai: Stories of women from the ganglands is a non-fiction crime novel written by Hussain Zaidi. The novel was released in 2011 based on the original research by reporter Jane Borges. The novel tells about 13 true stories of women who were involved in criminal activities in Mumbai. Alia Bhatt's Gangubai Kathiawadi is based on a chapter of Mafia Queens of Mumbai. Here’s a curated list of other books that introduce you to Mumbai’s underbelly.

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Dongri to Dubai

Dongri to Dubai: Six Decades of the Mumbai Mafia is a book by Hussain Zaidi. The book is about the evolution of the Mumbai mafia from a group of thugs and smugglers to the present day mafia dons of organised crime. It also tells the journey of Dawood Ibrahim from the by-lanes of Dongri where he first cut his teeth in crime, to Dubai, where he eventually established his empire. This book was adopted into a Bollywood film named Shootout at Wadala by Sanjay Gupta.

Byculla to Bangkok

After the huge success of Dongri to Dubai, its sequel Byculla to Bangkok was launched. This the second non-fiction book on organised crime and terror in the modern-day Indian metropolitan city of Mumbai written by Hussain Zaidi. In the book, Hussain continued the story that was left unfinished in his earlier book. This book includes three people associated with the mobster Dawood Ibrahim. The book deals with Chota Rajan, Arun Gawli and Ashwin Naik.

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Black Friday

Black Friday: The True Story of the Bombay Bomb Blasts is a novel written by Hussain Zaidi. This book covers the events that led to the 1993 Bombay bombings and the investigation that followed. This book was adapted into a feature film of the same name which was directed by Anurag Kashyap.

Mumbai Avengers

Mumbai Avengers is a novel written by Hussain Zaidi. The novel is about the 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai that haunted the country. The 2015 film Phantom, starring Saif Ali Khan and Katrina Kaif is an adaption of this novel.

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My Name is Abu Salem

My Name is Abu Salem tells the story of Abu Salem who is known for his involvement in the Mumbai blasts of 1993 and the murder of music composer Gulshan Kumar. The books tell about his relationship with actor Monica Bedi and his connection to Bollywood, leading to several attempted murders of the film industry’s biggest names. The book is written by Hussain Zaidi.

Behind Bars in Byculla

Behind Bars in Byculla: My Days in Prison is a book written by Jigna Vora. The book tells a true story of a renowned journalist Jyotirmoy Dey-fondly known as J, Dey who was murdered by members of the Chhota Rajan gang in 2011. A few months later, fellow journalist and crime reporter Jigna Vora was arrested in connection with the case. Seven years later, she was acquitted of all charges. This tells her story in her own words.

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Sacred Games

Sacred Games is a mystery, thriller novel written by Vikram Chandra. The book runs on two parallel tracks. It tells the story of the criminal underworld of Mumbai in the 1980s and 1990s and the other through a tense modern-day hunt for the explanation behind a notorious dead gangster's bizarre final words. The book was adapted into a Netflix series of the same name starring Saif Ali Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui.

Dangerous Minds

Dangerous Minds: Eight Riveting Profiles of Homegrown Terrorists traces into the complex and intricate lives of some of the terrorists of the country. The book is written by S Hussain Zaidi and Brijesh Singh. It was published in 2018.

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