Bambai Meri Jaan Review: Gore, Gangsters and Clichés

Inspired by S. Hussain Zaidi’s Dongri to Dubai

Dongri to Dubai:Six Decades of the Mumbai Mafia, a book that traces the evolution of the underworld through the lens of gangster Dawood Ibrahim’s life.

Performances That Stand Out

The interesting aspect about Bambai Meri Jaan is its desire to break the clutter. The makers seem to recognize the need to do things differently. Some of this works.

Burdened By Tropes

However, the show’s desire to break the clutter is also its undoing – it morphs into a desperation to stand out. The treatment seeks attention when there’s not enough story to flaunt.

The Film-Making Resorts To

It Resorts to Comi cal cha ses an d musi cal cu es wh en you ng Da ra ste als i n th e Don gri loca lity – a sty le th at trivia lizes th e grav ity o f a n ori gin sto ry. I t al so bord ers o n pove rty po rn wh en Ism ail los es hi s jo b an d th e fam ily fac es a finan cial cri sis.

Where It Could Be Better

The VFX in some scenes is shabby. Characters like Pari (Amyra Dastur), Dara’s first love, and Malik (Shiv Pandit), the inspector on the D-Company payroll, are treated as not humans so much as dispensable ideas. No Bollywood or cricket connection is mentioned of Dawood.