Bambai Meri Jaan producer Farhan Akhtar: ‘The show is not about Dawood Ibrahim or Haji Mastan’

Farhan Akhtar and Rensil D’silva, who’ve together made the new web series Bambai Meri Jaan, have said that the show is not about dreaded gangsters Dawood Ibrahim or Haji Mastan.

In an exclusive interview with Hindustan Times, the filmmakers insisted it is a new and fictional story that is set in the familiar world of Mumbai’s underworld. Farhan has produced the show under his banner Excel Entertainment while Rensil, alongside director Shujaat Saudagar, is the show creator.

Talking about what makes the audience watch crime dramas, Farhan said, “Intriguing for sure. We find it fascinating to understand what makes a mind behave criminally. That is the reason we feel like we want to watch it because we want to understand a person like that. We want to understand how that kind of mind works.”

Bambai Meri Jaan Is Not About Dawood
Asked if the show is about gangsters Dawood Ibrahim or Haji Mastan, show creator Rensil D’silva said, “No it is not. It is not. It (Dawood and Haji’s references) might be something that seeped into the consciousness of the audience because of Hussain Zaidi’s involvement in the show. (But) He has created a fictional story and he brought it to Farhan and Ritesh. They liked it and then it came to me. Every fiction is inspired by something real, but I can assure you) this show is totally fictional.” Farhan also said that the ‘show is not about Dawood or Haji’, but is a fictional one.

Hussain Zaidi has been credited for the story of Bambai Meri Jaan. He has reported on the underworld for many years and he has even written several books about it. Many of his books, including Class of 83 and Mafia Queens of Mumbai, have had cinematic adaptations.

Talking about the obstacles that the producers overcame, while making Bambai Meri Jaan, Farhan recalled, “The big trouble (we overcame) was, of course, the pandemic. (It was a major roadblock) for us, as well as everyone else. That put us on hold twice. We had two lockdowns, then even when the lockdowns were eased, there were so many restrictions on shootings.

There was a limit on the number of people who could gather at one place. All of that took a long time. Were also hit by the cyclone (Cyclone Tauktae in 2021) and we had to rebuild the set after it was destroyed by the cyclone. I must credit the entire team for not giving up on the project despite all those obstacles.”

Kay Kay Menon and Avinash Tiwary play the lead roles of an honest cop, and son Dara, who wants to be Mumbai’s top gangster in Bambai Meri Jaan. The show also features Kritika Kamra as Dara’s sister Habiba. Despite all the denials, Dara’s character arc resembles Dawood while glimpses of his sister Haseena Parkar are clearly visible in Habiba.