Gangster’s moll Monica Bedi; Neeta Naik, a woman who pushed her London-educated engineer husband into crime and was later shot dead by his hired assassins; Jenabai Daruwala, who advised both Haji Mastan and a young Dawood Ibrahim; Gangubai, the larger-than-life brothel owner… from peddling drugs, to giving orders for murders, these women used wile and cunning to make their underworld journey. Crime journalist S Hussain Zaidi, who has written the book, Mafia Queens of Mumbai — Stories of Women From The Ganglands, with colleague Jane Borges, talks about lady dons to Anuradha Varma What is the fundamental difference between the rajas and ranis of the underworld? Is the lady don more ruthless?
As I explained in the introduction of my book, they are more determined, focussed, devious and know the weaknesses of men. These women actually exploited these shortcomings for achieving their nefarious goals. Jenabai Daruwali and narco queen Papamani are two examples of women who ruled the roost in their respective groups because they knew that men are no match for their cunningness and chutzpah
Out of the women you rediscovered, are there any whose stories made you feel respect, touched you emotionally or stayed with you for their cold-bloodedness?
Sapna Didi remains my all-time favourite. None can show the courage to stand up to a powerful don like Dawood and survive for so many years. Also, the way she plotted to kill him was audacious. The woman went to extreme lengths to avenge her husband’s killing and did not rest until she herself got killed.
Which character did you find most fascinating?
I find Jenabai's character multi-dimensional and a representation of all the negative qualities that a woman can develop in herself and use it to manipulate the world.
Are there any characters that you and Jane had to leave out of the book? How many such lady dons did you ultimately unearth?
All these women were subjects of my stories since my crime reporting days. And since the last 15 years I wanted to write a detailed story on them. There were several about whom I wanted to write like Lallan Bhabhi, whom I mentioned in my introduction; she was touted as the queen of black gold or adulterated petrol. Then I missed out on Lakshmi Thakur who was an ace blackmailer and had conned many a rich kid by secretly filming them when they visited her bordello. But since I could not get enough documents on them and also their victims were not willing to talk about them, I had to leave them out. Maybe I can add them in my subsequent editions.
Are the motivations of the women different? Many of the women you profiled entered into it due to circumstances, but once in there, they seemed to thrive. What drives them to crime?
Actually, most of them, except for wives of dons and Manisha, were victims of circumstances. I think their secret of success is the widespread notion that they are the weaker sex. They capitalize on this in a major way. They know that, even if arrested, cops cannot unleash third degree torture on them or kill them in a fake encounter. The courts will have a lenient attitude towards them. Also, once if they can convince the justice machinery that they were forced into it, they will easily get bail. Thus, they are emboldened and go on to commit crime with impunity. Like Jenabai or Gangubai were rarely arrested or put behind bars except for a few days.
They were equally conscious of competition. For instance, Jenabai competed with ‘Aunty’ joints of Mumbai in her own manner, while Papamani clipped wings of her mentor Savitri and her confidante Jyoti Adiramalingam, knowing fully well that she cannot allow them to become bigger. Then all wives of dons wanted their husbands to reign supreme. So undercutting or turf wars were definitely part of their trade.
What makes Mumbai the hotbed of the underworld?
Mumbai is the financial capital of the country. It attracts millions of people from all over the country seeking their livelihood in a legitimate manner. Similarly, the criminals know that Mumbai's roads are paved with gold. It’s a city which is full of money and insecurities. Any man with a little bravado and bluster can make it big here. Play on the insecurities of affluent people and they are ready to loosen their purse strings. Hence the gangs were formed, rich people were threatened and the underworld began making brisk business. Incidentally, Mumbai is also the epicentre of prime real estate and capital of Bollywood industry. The underworld sees all this as a big opportunity for making a killing.
This is your second book after Black Friday. How is the experience different this time round? Are you working on another book?
It was during the research on Black Friday that I realized that there are no books written on the Mumbai Mafia. I was surprised that despite such stalwarts of crime journalists around no one bothered to document the stories of the Mumbai underworld unlike journalists in the UK or USA. And authorities, which include cops and lawyers, are absolutely non-cooperative when it comes to writing about Mafia.
This book was far easier to write because Black Friday was about the biggest terrorist act in the world until 9/11 happened. The research was complex, arduous and often daunting. Sifting through 10,000 pages of chargesheets, court evidence, FIRs, defence arguments, etc was mindboggling. This book was simple and easy. Also, when Jane came on board and supported me in research and interviews it became a cakewalk.
I am working on two more non-fiction books.
Do you think there is a market for non-fiction in India now? Is there increased interest in telling and reading such stories?
Of course, if non-fiction books are written in a lucid manner and in a way that is meant for everyone and not just academicians then it will be lapped up by everyone. I was surprised by the overwhelming response that Mafia Queens got from the younger generation who are in their early twenties. After it was published I had presumed it would only be picked up by mature readers in their forties. So, it shows that if the plots and narratives are handled deftly then everyone will read non-fiction books.
Is there a film possibility based on the book?
Yes, there are two big names in Bollywood who are interested in portrayal of these women on celluloid. I have already signed up a contract with one and am in advanced negotiations with the other. There are also a couple of television people who wanted to serialize the stories of these women for the small screen.
Who are your favourite crime and non-fiction writers? Is there any kind of writing that you look up to, which inspires your own style?
Gabriel Garcia Marquez is my favourite non-fiction writer. I like the storytelling technique of John Grisham and Jeffrey Archer. These authors tell their stories in scenes or screenplay format rather than in a dull, prosaic manner.
http://idiva.com/interviews-work-life/meet-these-lady-dons-from-the-underworld/4645/1
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