Hindi movies in the eighties would end when the police jeep arrives but only after the villain has been beaten to pulp by the hero. Remember #JagdishRaj who made the cop entry his hallmark - a quick dekko of the scene, a nod to the hero and a terse instruction to his men to do their thing with the handcuffs… one forgets that there was a period in the seventies when the police didn't even have that role - this is when the mafia ruled roost and it was left to the hero to take them on single-handedly or even join their ranks and play the anti-hero. And that's the first thing that strikes you about this period drama - the heroes here are on their own here on a limb.. To live or die by the weight of their own karma… #BambaiMeriJaan on #AmazonPrime, based on S Hussain Zaidi’s “Dongri to Dubai : Six decades of the Mumbai mafia”.
Needless to say, this is a story that has been told many times - the underdog boy who makes it from the slums of Bombay to Dubai and builds his empire of smuggling and extortion, spawning the concept of the underworld. None of the names are mentioned but there is no attempt to conceal either. D Company is the establishment that the protagonist here Dara (#AvinashTiwari) builds. Haseena becomes Habiba here and the contract killer employed is not Manya Surve but Ganya Surve. The story is told from the lens of Dara’s father, a former policeman Ismail Kadri (#KayKayMenon) who is honest and upright. He lives with his wife Sakina (#NiveditaBhattacharya) and three sons in a modest chawl. A daughter is on her way and the family struggles to make ends meet. Ismail is inducted into the Pathan squad in the police department and encouraged to go after the crime syndicate in the city. Circumstances get the better of him and he ends up working for Haji Maqbool (#SaurabhSachdeva) but he remains firm on his principles. Meanwhile, his children grow up and Dara, his second son goes against everything that his father stands for. Actions result in consequences and there is a lot of violence and gore; eventually the family must relocate to Dubai.
First, some scenes that I found appealing. When Dara is caught stealing, Ismail takes out his belt and gives his son a hiding. All through this, Dara keeps looking him in the eye, with the hint of a smile and a defiance that is palpable. When the kids grow up and Sadiq gets involved with a prostitute, Dara goes to his father to convince him to return to the household. Dara tells Ismail that he does not believe his father’s principles, but in the case of the brother, it is the father who knows best. Much later, when the family loses their eldest son Sadiq (#JatinGulati), the father and son share a tender moment sitting beside each other on the bed. As they clasp each other's hands, they bond in grief and yet when Ismail tells Dara that he cannot bear to bury another son, Dara gets up and leaves. In many ways, it is this endearing father-son relationship that shines through in the rather long and sprawling ten episodes of the show. It is not as raw as the harkback to the “Mera baap chor hai” sentiment of Deewar but is a conflict based on principles. Writer-Creators #RensilD’Silva and #ShujaatSaudagar (Rock on 2) are clear that Dara is not an anti-hero but a villain.
This is India bidding goodbye to the Nehruvian era and people are struggling to come to terms with the lack of opportunity. Bombay is controlled by a trio of ganglords. Haji Maqbool is played by an in-form #SaurabhSachdeva. His demeanor, outfit and deep eyes are perfect for the role. When he smokes, it is long, thoughtful puffs and gives the character a gravitas and a smooth, elegant touch to the persona. In sharp contrast is the cocaine snorting, boorish Azeem Pathan played by #NawabShah; crude and brutal in his approach. An interesting casting choice for Rajan Mudaliar is #DineshPrabhakar, the malayali actor. Unfortunately, all three of them are mostly in the same frame; the writing does not provide any depth to their characters. There is no commentary on their origins or sources of influence either, which is a pity! The redeeming feature though are the interactions between Haji and Ismail with almost a throwback to old world gallantry.
The show is carried on the able shoulders of the versatile #KayKayMenon as he does complete justice to the role of a man torn between self respect and devotion to his family. His tone of voice, look in the eyes and body language make for a visual treat. #NiveditaBhattacharya as Sakina plays perfect foil to Ismail as the loyal wife and doting mother. She strikes a balance that holds the family together. #KritikaKamra is the other woman in the series, playing the sister Habiba; her transformation from the baby sister to the next ganglord is great to see. #AmyraDastur plays Pari Patel, the love interest for Dara but there isn't just enough depth to the character. Some of the other commendable performances come in from #jatinGulati and #LakshyaKocchar who play the brother Sadiq and Ajju. #VivanBhatena as Abdullah and #ShivPandit as Malik are also adept. #AshwiniKumar plays Nasir, Dara’s childhood friend.
#SumeetVyas and #AdityaRawal play short cameos. Rawal will most likely play a more crucial role in the next season but Vyas’s character of Ganya Surve is almost caricaturish with unnecessary quirks. He is introduced as the contract killer who thinks nothing of polishing off his breakfast at the same table where he has killed the members of a family. He is reading a James Hadley Chase as he does this. I did not understand the need for him to spew dialogues in English that seem so out of context.
Cinematographer #JohnSchmidt’s twilight zone palette gets a little tedious after a point of time and there is nothing that is remarkable. The children's antics in the beginning of the show and the feeble attempt to bring in a comic touch to their attempts at theft dont really measure up and seem incongruent with the overall tone. The writing lets up on intensity at times which is sad because the series is definitely worth a watch. The scene where Dara takes Pari to dinner at a five star and then both leave to grab a bite at a street food stall doesn't say much for the characters. Then there is a bizarre scene that jump cuts between the intimate scenes of these two in five star luxury versus Sadique and a prostitute that is crude, ungainly and utterly redundant. In another scene, the visuals cut to wildlife shots of lions and hyenas even as the voice over compares the gang lords to their counterparts from the jungle!
I also found the lack of any Bollywood or cricket angle to the narrative quite surprising. People growing up in India of the eighties knew the characters of the show for three reasons - bollywood threats, cricket matches and involvement in the outcomes of the game and the glitz and glamor of their life in Dubai. There are for sure, a couple of shots of the brothers and sister indulging themselves in a new wardrobe but fails to impact. Overall production design by #NitinGaikwad is not bad, however. The writing also emphasizes lewd and loud dialogues a bit too much and the violence is over the top. The scene where Nasir is chopped up and then forced to watch his newly wed wife to be raped takes you back to the B-grade cinema of four decades ago.
#BambaiMeriJaan is procured by Excel Entertainment and is definitely worth your time. I binge watched the entire show and felt that it did justice to the trials and tribulations of the lead characters and their choices in life. #AvinashTiwari is top-notch and gets the mannerisms, dialogues and thoughtful glares spot on. His interactions with his father Ismal remain the high points of the show. In one scene he tells his father “In the battle between fear and respect, fear always wins”. Beyond the casting, dialogues and the action, the show keeps you engaged on the sheer performance of Menon and Tiwari and their interpretation of the father-son relationship - that is testimony to some sharp writing and perfectly layered characters. The show revolves around the tension in the air when both are on the screen!
