Book Review - Dongri to Dubai: Six decades of the Mumbai mafia (S. Hussain Zaidi)

I was really interested in this book because there are so few comprehensive resources elsewhere that detail the history of the Mumbai Mafia. I've tried Wikipedia and Google before, but information was not easily available. For that itself, the writer needs to be applauded.

The primary reason for my 4 rating is the relative lack of historical accounts in the past, so this book fills a rather large hole, I feel. The quality of the writing could have been better, but the author is primarily a journalist, so that can be excused. It reads like a crime thriller in many of its sections, and the fact that the stories are all real-life adds to the appeal of the book.

The author has brought out several interesting historical tidbits, such as the first ever Supari (contract killing) in Mumbai, the origins of the Rampuri knife, the first ever "encounter" by the Mumbai police etc. I haven't seen "Shootout at Wadala", which is supposedly based on the book, but I can't imagine a movie doing justice to the 60-year history of the Mumbai mafia.

Overall, a great read, primarily because it brings out historical facts that are otherwise not well known (For example, Dawood's father was a constable in the Mumbai Police). The writing quality will not blow you away, but the book doesn't aim for that. The author's intent was to provide a historical account of the rise and growth of the Mumbai mafia and he's done a great job at that. Will definitely try out more books by the author (or the associated movies) in the future!

Goodreads page for the book