Rahul Desai
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.
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.
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.
It Resorts to Comical chases and musical cues when young Dara steals in the Dongri locality – a style that trivializes the gravity of an origin story. It also borders on poverty porn when Ismail loses his job and the family faces a financial crisis.
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.