Tag: Hussain Zaidi

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Resurgence of Bobby Deol: An overview into the actor’s second innings with a variety of characters, both in theatres and OTT

While ‘Animal’ came across as a breakthrough performance, his performances on the OTT platforms with the web series ‘Aashram’ and the two movies ‘Love Hostel’ and ‘Class of 83’, also showcased his acting finesse.

Starting with the 1995 movie Barsaat, Bobby Deol has acted in more than 50 movies, including thrillers, action movies, and love stories.

From a boy next door in the likes of Barsaat the actor has transformed into a gritty actor with a diverse portfolio of characters. He has been a leading man, a supporting actor and has now transformed into a wonderful character artiste.

In the 1990s and 2000s Bobby Deol was a popular leading man primarily known for his stylish looks. However, as the years have gone by he has also proved his acting talent. While Animal came across as a breakthrough performance, his performances on the OTT platforms with the web series Aashram and the two movies Love Hostel and Class of 83, also showcased his acting finesse.

Standout performances in late 90s

In the late 90s and early 2000s too, the actor had a slew of fine performances to his credit. Among Bobby Deol’s earlier performances, his act in Abbas Mustan’s Humraaz (2002) deserves special mention. Bobby Deol’s character in Humraaz goes through many emotions, particularly in the second half. There is a palpable sense of distraught when Bobby’s Raj Singhania finds out that his wife has double-crossed him.

Another impactful character in Bobby Deol’s early career includes the romantic thriller Gupt (1997). In this movie, Bobby plays a young man wrongfully accused of murder. He portrayed the different nuances of the role in an impactful manner. Talking about comedy roles, Bobby’s act in Jhoom Barabar Jhoom (2007) as a mama’s boy was endearing to watch.

At one point Bobby’s career saw a dead end with no solid work coming. There were sporadic appearances but nothing substantial.

However, he rose to fame with the Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal, in which he plays a non-speaking person. The film released in 2023 December, opened many avenues for the actor— he is now the most sought-after villain.

In 2024, he once again played an antagonist in Suriya’s Kanguva. While the movie didn’t work as expected, Bobby Deol’s performance earned praise.

Now let’s get into a little more detail about Bobby Deol’s reinvention by expanding on the recent films and the web series mentioned above.

Animal

Bobby Deol in Animal
Bobby Deol in ‘Animal’. (X)

In Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal, Bobby Deol makes a late entry in the second half but leaves a lasting impact. His introduction scene captures two contrasting emotions. In the song “Jamal Kudu,” he dances joyfully with an alcohol glass on his head, celebrating. This is immediately followed by a moment of intense rage upon hearing of his brother’s death.

With his chilling eyes, Bobby’s character becomes a formidable opponent to Ranbir. In the climax, his emotional intensity shines through as he battles Ranbir.

Despite having no dialogue, his fiery eyes and body language convey murderous rage, making him an intimidating and deadly presence.

Class of 83

Bobby Deol in Class of 83
Bobby Deol in ‘Class of 83’. (X)

Class of 83, directed by Atul Sabharwal, is based on the novel by acclaimed crime journalist Hussain Zaidi. The film follows a cop, Vijay Singh, who is demoted to the dean of a police academy as punishment. At the academy, Singh selects a group of rookies to restore justice through unethical means. His plan works for a while, but things eventually fall apart.

Bobby Deol’s portrayal of Vijay Singh is far from the traditional larger-than-life cops like Salman Khan in Dabangg or Ajay Devgn in Singham. Instead, he plays a brooding mentor, conveying much through silence and his intense eyes. Deol effectively captures Vijay Singh’s inner turmoil with a powerful, internalized performance.

Aashram (Web series)

Bobby Deol in Aashram
Bobby Deol in ‘Aashram’. (X)

In his web series debut, Bobby Deol played a charismatic godman in Aashram, directed by Prakash Jha. His character, Baba Nirala, is revered as a messiah for the downtrodden, but in reality, he harbours a dark past. The three seasons of Aashram tackle various social issues, such as the caste system and reservation, in typical Prakash Jha style.

As the cunning yet charming Baba Nirala, Bobby Deol brought immense charisma to the role. He skillfully portrayed the contrast between the god-loving persona he presents to his devotees and the darker side revealed once the curtain falls. Deol perfectly balanced the revered godman with subtle hints of his evil nature.

Love Hostel

Bobby Deol in Love Hostel
Bobby Deol in ‘Love Hostel’. (X)

In Love Hostel, Bobby Deol played a hitman named Dagar, who believes he is doing society a favour by killing young couples who try to break societal norms by marrying outside their caste or religion.

Deol portrayed the mostly emotionless Dagar with the perfect attitude, outstandingly capturing his self-righteousness. He also nailed the hinterland accent.

This is an overview of Bobby Deol’s resurgence. This list is by no means complete, as the actor’s second innings includes many more exciting projects.

These include Yash Raj Banner’s first female-led spy film, starring Alia Bhatt and promising new talent Sharvari Wagh. There is also Anurag Kashyap’s untitled thriller with Sanya Malhotra. In addition, Bobby Deol has Telugu films Daaku Maharaj and Hari Hara Veera Mallu, as well as the Tamil film Thalapathy 69. Here’s hoping Bobby continues to deliver solid work.

(Edited by Sumavarsha)

https://thesouthfirst.com/entertainment/resurgence-of-bobby-deol-an-overview-into-the-actors-second-innings-with-a-variety-of-characters-both-in-theatres-and-ott/

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Gangubai Kathiawadi: A Solid Spectacle With A Beating Heart

Over the years Sanjay Leela Bhansali has become synonymous with telling stories on a larger than life canvas. His last three films Ram Leela, Bajirao Mastani and Padmavat are good examples of that. This larger than life canvas has also backfired in films like Ranbir Kapoor’s Saawariya but there is no denying the artisticness of Bhansali irrespective of whether you agree with his storytelling or not.

In Gangubai the director takes up a gritty real life story and narrates it with his trademark dramatic touch. The result is a largely satisfying film which touches upon a very important topic. He is also aided by the supremely talented cast led by his formidable leading lady. Alia Bhatt sinks her teeth into the role and comes up with the best performance of her career but more on that later.

The story of Gangubai is set in the 60’s and is inspired by a chapter from S Hussain Zaidi’s book Mafia Queens of Mumbai. With the help of the cinematographer Sudeep Chatterjee Bhansali immediately transports you into the area of Kamatipura. The plot is divided into three chapters. First you have Ganga being brought into the streets of Kamathipura and sold by her lover Ramnik. Ganga had aspirations of becoming a Bollywood heroine and Ramnik used that to his advantage and coaxed her to run away from home under false pretences. Seema Pahwa plays the brothel owner Sheela Masi. It is good to see the actress taking a break from her usual mother roles and doing something different, she is delightfully evil.

Much like the other four thousand woman of Kamatipura Ganga has no other option other than to make a living there. She gives up all hope and in a heartbreaking scene we see her standing in the front of a brothel, leaning on its door and seducing men by calling out to them in whispers. From here we see the character transforming into a fire brand go getter who gradually climbs up the ladder. She wears her past proudly on her sleeve, for example there is a scene in the later half where she introduces herself to Jim Sarbh’s character as Gangubai the prostitute. The interactions of Gangu with the supporting characters and how that shapes up her life also form an important part of the story. One of the most important supporting characters is that of Ajay Devgan’s Rahim Lala. He is a Muslim gangster who is a huge pillar of support for Gangu along with being her rakhi brother. Ajay is in smashing form and brings his trademark swagger.

There is a line in a film which says Gangubai wasn’t Mahaan but she wasn’t a devil either. This perfectly sums up the approach that Sanjay Leela Bhansali has taken. Early on in the film we see Gangubai freeing a girl from a prostitute house and sending her back home. This is done with a certain political purpose as we get to know later. There is also a scene where she sets up the marriage of a prostitute daughter with a son of a Muslim Tailor Afshan ( Shantanu Maheshwari); here also there is a reason why she does that. In these scenes we can see the shrewdness that Gangubai has learnt from the harsh circumstances that she has gone through. At the same time there is a genuine empathy that she has for sex workers, there is a reason why she wants to become to become the madam of Kamathipura. The reason is she wants to improve the lives of the sex workers. This comes out perfectly in her stunning speech at Azad Maidaan. Bhansali does a splendid job in bringing out these two shades.

Gangubai’s love story with Afshan also gives the film some of its best moments. Their romance is subtle but yet heartwarming. The two love songs Jab Saiyaan and Meri Jaan have been perfectly used by the director. They don’t come across as speed breakers. Out of the two my favorite one is Meri Jaan. You wish that Gangubai had a happy ending with Afshan.

Another track worth mentioning here is the friendship between Gangubai and Kamili played by Indira Tiwari. Their on screen bond is a treat to watch. There is a strong emotional scene between Gangubai and Kamili when the latter is on the verge of dying. It is a scene which is highly moving.

The scenes between Ajay Devgan and Alia are also good to watch but you wish there was little more of Ajay. The same goes to Vijay Raazi’s Rajyabhai. He plays an opponent to Gangu. Their rivalry is fun to watch but Vijay Raaz comes across as underutilized after a point.

As I earlier said Alia sinks her teeth into the role. Since the release of the teaser there has been a certain talk about alternate casting but once you see the film you realize why Sanjay Leela Bhansali stuck to her.

The best thing about Alia’s performance is the authority that she brings in her voice when the character makes the transition from being a helpless prostitute worker to the madam of Kamathipura. Her comic timing in the lighter bits is also too good. In short this is truly an award winning performance. Out of the supporting cast Indira Tiwari and Shantnu stand out the most.

The music of Gangubai mostly works but the one featuring Huma Qureshi could have been done away with. The song Dholida isn’t too high on lyrics but it still highly watchable thanks to Energetic performance of Alia. The second part of the song makes more of an impression.

The one area where the movie falters is its pre-climax and climax, Gangubai’s conversation with Jawaharlal Nehru could have been more impactful, in the sense she should have been talking to him with more humility. Also the climax where a swarm of people are cheering Gangubai stretches a little too much.

Watch Gangubai for its leading lady and the importance of its real life story.

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Not Villains; Victims Of Circumstances – Hussain Zaidi Books And Movies

This post is about three Hussain Zaidi’s books and the movies based on them. For people who are not familiar with his background it needs to be mentioned that he worked as a crime reporter in Mumbai for a very long time. These three books are: Black Friday: The true story of the Bombay blasts, Dongri to Dubai : Six Decades of the Mumbai Mafia and Mafia Queens of Mumbai. Out of these two have already come as movies. The name of the first movie is same as the title of the book directed by Anurag Kashyap. Dongri to Dubai was made into Shootout at Wadala movie directed by Sanjay Gupta. It was about the first recorded police encounter in Mumbai of Manya Surve, an educated gangster. From Mafia Queens of Mumbai book the story of Gangubai  Kathiawadi has been taken for the upcoming movie titled with the same name. She was sold into prostitution by her boyfriend Ramnik Lal and later she becomes the madam of a brothel in Kamatipura. Gangubai did a lot of work for the well being of the sex workers and also orphans. Famous gangster Karim lala considered her as his rakhi sister and gave the command of Kamatipura area to her. This film is being directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and is likely to be released in the later half of 2021.

Mumbai avengers

All three movies have taken only one chapter of those books respectively. Apart from the above mentioned there is also a  fiction book called Mumbai Avengers which was made into Phantom movie directed by Kabir Khan. The story of Mumbai Avengers is set five years after 26/11 Taj attacks on Mumbai. It is about how a retired Indian army officer Gen. Sayid Ali Warris masterminds an operation to kill the conspirators of 26/11 with the help of policemen, tech experts etc. But in the movie it was portrayed as a one man mission played by Saif Ali Khan.  

1. Black Friday: The true story of the Bombay Blasts

This book mainly deals with the bomb blasts that happened in the city of Mumbai on March 12th 1993, how the blasts shocked the entire nation, its aftermath and most importantly the backstory of why they happened. Black Friday begins off with people going about their business as usual completely unaware of the calamity. Afterwards we see a detailed account of the blasts and from there we move on to the incident of Babri Masjid demolition and how it led to the blasts. There is a lot that Hussain Zaidi packs in the book from police officers who would break the law in the course of the investigation to the innocent and illiterate young Muslims who were dragged into this. Hussain Zaidi writes all these things in an engaging manner and makes you understand the root causes for these blasts. 

Anurag Kashyap did absolute justice to the book with his outstanding direction. It also helped that the film had powerhouse performers like Kay Kay Menon, Pavan Malhotra etc. 

2. Dongri to Dubai: Six decades of Mumbai Mafia  

Dongri to Dubai is an attempt to chronicle the history of the Mumbai Mafia. It is a story of many gangsters like Haji Mastan, Karim Lala, Chota Rajan, Varadarajan Mudaliar and above all Dawood Ibrahim, a young man who took the crime route in spite of having a father in the police force. It talks about how Dawood Ibrahim was used as a pawn by the Bombay police and eventually how he became the nemesis for them. His story is primarily about a boy from Dongri becoming a don in Dubai. As earlier said Manya Surve’s life is a brief chapter in this book and this was expanded by director Sanjay Gupta in his film Shootout at Wadala which was a sequel to Shootout at Lokandwala. An interesting thing about Manya is that he was a graduate who was looking to lead a normal life but he gets falsely implicated in a murder. He escapes from prison with the help of a muslim friend and later rises to huge prominence. He was known for his strategic planning and daredevilry. Manya Surve’s encounter was the first recorded encounter in Mumbai, as mentioned earlier. The book is divided into two eras and writer Hussain Zaidi’s narrative style is very gripping and engrosses you thoroughly. The stories of all the gangsters are very interesting and through them the writer tells you about how they operated their networks with the help of police officials themselves. 

Shootout at Wadala may not be as satisfying as Black Friday but it is still an engaging commercial entertainer which manages to successfully capture that period. John Abraham as Manya delivered a committed performance. 

3. Mafia Queens of Mumbai

Mafia Queens of Mumbai talks about a few female gangsters who made their way up in the world of male gangsters. The book was a collection of stories both from Kamatipura and Dongri. Recently there was an interview of Hussain Zaid where he said while researching for the book he found that female gangsters are more courageous, brave and manipulative than men. This feels quite true when you look at some of the stories in the book particularly Sapna Didi and Gangubai. Sapna Didi was the wife of a gangster who worked for Dawood Ibrahim. After her husband gets killed by him she decides to take revenge for his death with the help of another gangster. She takes two months of training at the place of Hussain Ustara by learning to ride bikes, using gun etc. She plans to kill Dawood at a cricket stadium but gets betrayed in the last minute and it is said that her murder was the most brutal murder in the history of gangsterism. Though she failed in killing Dawood there is no doubting of her bravery and courage.

Champion of sex workers’ rights

As far as Gangubai she actively championed for the rights of sex workers and their empowerment. There is a famous speech of her on sex workers and she even had a conversation with Jawaharlal Nehru to discuss their problems. In the book there is a conversation between her and Nehru where Nehru asks her why she ended up in this business when she could have found herself a nice husband. If true, Gangubai’s reply to this is very bold. She asked him whether he would marry her. This leaves Nehru red faced and she goes on to say it is easy to preach but tough to practice. All  the stories in the book are very unique in their own manner and you never feel any boredom. It is one of those books which can be rightly called as a page turner. 

With Sanjay Leela Bhansali helming it and a talented performer like Alia playing the title role it is expected to be a solid film.  I would end by recommending both to read Hussain Zaid’s books and see the movies based on those books. The specialty of Hussain Zaidi is he never caricatures any of the gangsters. He in fact humanises them. Portrays them as victims of circumstances rather than outright villains.