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Syed Hussain Zaidi (born 28 February 1968) is an Indian author and former investigative journalist. His works include '' Dongri to Dubai: Six Decades of the Mumbai Mafia'', '' Mafia Queens of Mumbai'', '' Black Friday'', ''My Name is Abu Salem'' and ''Mumbai Avengers''. S. Hussain Zaidi is India's most prolific crime writer. He publishes under the Blue Salt imprint. The Mumbai mafia has been his focus in books such as ''Dongri to Dubai: Six Decades of the Mumbai Mafia'', ''Mafia Queens of Mumbai'', '' My Name is Abu Salem'' and '' Byculla to Bangkok''. Zaidi began his career in journalism while working for the newspaper ''
The Asian Age ''The Asian Age'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper with editions published in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. It also prints an "international edition" in London. It was launched in February 1994. The same publishing company also pro ...
'', where he became the resident editor. Zaidi later worked for several other periodicals, including ''
The Indian Express ''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932 by P. Varadarajulu Naidu. It is headquartered in Noida, owned by the ''Indian Express Group''. It was later taken over by Ramnath Goenka. In 1999, eight y ...
'', ''
Mid-Day ''Mid-Day'' (stylised as mid-day) is a morning daily Indian compact newspaper. Editions in various languages including Gujarati and English have been published out of Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Pune so far. In 2011, the Delhi and Bangalore ...
'' and ''
Mumbai Mirror The ''Mumbai Mirror'' is an Indian English-language newspaper published in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Launched in 2005 as a compact daily newspaper, its coverage focused on city specific local news and civic issues concerning education, healthcare an ...
''. His in-depth research on the Mumbai mafia has been used by international authors, including
Misha Glenny Michael V. E. "Misha" Glenny (born 25 April 1958) is an English journalist and Television presenter, broadcaster, specialising in southeast Europe, global organised crime, and cybersecurity. He has been Rector of the Institute for Human Science ...
in '' McMafia'' and Vikram Chandra in his book '' Sacred Games''. Zaidi was once kidnapped in Iraq. Zaidi has covered the
Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
mafia for several decades. His 2002 book ''Black Friday'' detailed the 1993 Mumbai bombings, an attack consisting of thirteen explosions that killed 250 people. The book was adapted two years later, in 2004, into a film by
Anurag Kashyap Anurag Kashyap (born 10 September 1972) is an Indian filmmaker and actor known for his works in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of four Filmfare Awards. For his contributions to films, the Government of France made him a Knight of the Ordre ...
also titled '' Black Friday''. The film was so controversial that the Indian Censor Board did not allow it to be released in India for three years. It was finally released on 9 February 2007 after the
Supreme Court of India The Supreme Court of India is the supreme judiciary of India, judicial authority and the supreme court, highest court of the Republic of India. It is the final Appellate court, court of appeal for all civil and criminal cases in India. It also ...
allowed it following the TADA court verdict in the '93 Bombay blast case. In ''Dongri to Dubai: Six Decades of the Mumbai Mafia'', a historical account of the
Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
mafia, Zaidi conducted an interview with crime boss Dawood Ibrahim, who is suspected of having orchestrated the bombings. The book was adapted into the film ''
Shootout at Wadala ''Shootout at Wadala'' is a 2013 Indian Action film, action-crime film written and directed by Sanjay Gupta (director), Sanjay Gupta. The film stars Anil Kapoor, John Abraham, Manoj Bajpayee, Tusshar Kapoor, Kangana Ranaut and Sonu Sood. It is ...
'' by Sanjay Gupta. Zaidi was also an associate producer of the HBO documentary '' Terror in Mumbai'', which is based on the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai. Zaidi did an interview with
Spymaster A spymaster is a leader of a group of spies or an intelligence agency An intelligence agency is a government agency responsible for the collection, Intelligence analysis, analysis, and exploitation of information in support of law enforce ...
Lucky Bisht in June 2022, Bisht was in many controversies during his job, for which he had to go to jail but later he was acquitted of judiciary. The assassination of Raju Pargai and Amit Arya, '' R.A.W. Hitman: The Real Story of Agent Lima'' lays bare the enigmatic life of a spy, navigating a treacherous world of espionage, assassination and politics uncovering a web of deceit that changes the course of his life. The biggest question is Lucky Bisht and Agent Lima are both the same becomes the best seller book in just 3 weeks.


Movie & TV Adaptions

The 2015 Kabir Khan film ''
Phantom Phantom, phantoms, or the phantom may refer to: * Spirit (metaphysics), the vital principle or animating force within all living things ** Ghost, the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that can appear to the living Aircraft * Boeing Phanto ...
'', starring
Saif Ali Khan Saif Ali Khan (; born Sajid Ali Khan Pataudi; 16 August 1970) is an Indian actor and film producer who primarily works in Hindi cinema, Hindi films. The titular head of the Pataudi family since 2011, he is the son of actress Sharmila Tagore a ...
and
Katrina Kaif Katrina Kaif (; born Katrina Rosemary Turcotte, 16 July 1983) is a British actress who works in Hindi-language films. One of the highest-paid actresses in India, she has received numerous accolades, including four Screen Awards and four Zee C ...
, is an adaptation of Zaidi's book ''Mumbai Avengers''; the screenplay was written in conjunction with the author.
Farhan Akhtar Farhan Akhtar (born 9 January 1974) is an Indian actor, filmmaker and singer who works in Hindi films. Born to screenwriters Javed Akhtar and Honey Irani, he established the production company Excel Entertainment, along with Ritesh Sidhwa ...
and Ritesh Sidhwani of
Excel Entertainment Excel Entertainment is an Indian production company, founded by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar in Mumbai in 1999. They mainly produce Hindi films. Their debut production, ''Dil Chahta Hai'', received critical acclaim and was a huge rage f ...
are making a web series titled '' Bambay meri jaan'', an adaptation of Zaidi's book. The series will reportedly focus on Dawood Ibrahim's early life, as well as his gang members and other contemporary mob bosses.
Shah Rukh Khan Shah Rukh Khan (; born 2 November 1965), also known by the initialism SRK, is an Indian actor and film producer who works in Hindi cinema. Referred to in the media as the "Padishah, Baadshah of Bollywood" and "King Khan", he has Shah Rukh K ...
's production house Red Chillies Entertainment released a
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...
titled '' Class of '83'', starring
Bobby Deol Vijay Singh Deol (born 27 January 1969), better known by his screen name Bobby Deol, is an Indian actor who primarily works in Hindi cinema. A member of the List of Hindi film families#Deol family, Deol family, he is the younger son of actor Dha ...
and directed by Atul Sabharwal, based on Zaidi's book of the same name. '' Gangubai Kathiawadi'' is an Indian Hindi-language biographical crime film directed by
Sanjay Leela Bhansali Sanjay Leela Bhansali (born 24 February 1963) is an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter, editor and music composer, who works in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of several awards, including seven National Film Awards and twelve Filmf ...
and produced by Bhansali Productions in conjunction with Jayantilal Gada's Pen India Ltd. The film is based on Zaidi's book ''Mafia Queens of Mumbai''. The story revolves around Gangubai Kothewali, a
brothel A brothel, strumpet house, bordello, bawdy house, ranch, house of ill repute, house of ill fame, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in Human sexual activity, sexual activity with prostitutes. For legal or cultural reasons, establis ...
owner and
matriarch Matriarchy is a social system in which positions of power and privilege are held by women. In a broader sense it can also extend to moral authority, social privilege, and control of property. While those definitions apply in general English, ...
. Matchbox Pictures has acquired the filming rights to
journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...
Jigna Vora's book ''Behind Bars in Byculla: My Days in Prison'', co-published by
Penguin Random House Penguin Random House Limited is a British-American multinational corporation, multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate publishing company formed on July 1, 2013, with the merger of Penguin Books and Random House. Penguin Books was or ...
and Blue Salt. '' London Confidential: The Chinese Conspiracy'' is an Indian Hindi-language spy thriller film which has been streaming on
ZEE5 ZEE5 or Z5 is an Indian subscription video on demand and over-the-top streaming service, owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. It was launched in India on 14 February 2018 with content in 12 languages. The ZEE5 mobile app is available on We ...
since September 2020. Directed by Kanwal Sethi and produced by Mohit Chhabra and Ajay Rai, it was written by Zaidi and stars Mouni Roy and Purab Kohli. the narrative revolves around a conspiracy to spread an infection.


Publications

* '' Black Friday: The True Story of the Bombay Bomb Blast'' (2002) * '' Mafia Queens of Mumbai: Women who Ruled the Ganglands'' (2011) * '' Dongri to Dubai: Six Decades of the Mumbai Mafia'' (2012) * ''Headley and I'' (2012) * '' Byculla to Bangkok'' (2014) * ''My Name Is Abu Salem'' (2014) * ''Mumbai Avengers'' (2015) * ''Dangerous Minds'' (2017) * ''The Wily Old Woman of Dongri'' (2017) * ''Eleventh Hour'' (2018) * ''Dawood's Mentor'' (2019) * ''The Class of 83: The Punishers of Mumbai Police'' (2019) * ''The Endgame'' (2020) * ''Zero Day'' (2022) * '' R.A.W. Hitman: The Real Story of Agent Lima'' (2023) * ''The Black Orphan'' (2024) * ''The Dangerous Dozen: Hitmen of the Mumbai Underworld'' (2024) * ''R.A.W. Hitman 2: The Assassinations'' (2024) * ''Mafia Queens of India'' (2025)


Filmography


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zaidi, Hussain Living people Indian investigative journalists Indian male novelists Indian male journalists 1968 births Writers from Mumbai Screenwriters from Mumbai 21st-century Indian non-fiction writers 21st-century Indian journalists 21st-century Indian screenwriters Hindi-language screenwriters Twelvers Indian Shia Muslims