'Gangubai Kathiawadi' And 4 Other Stories By Hussain Zaidi That Were Turned Into Movies

If you got the chance to watch Gangubai Kathiawadi, then we’re sure you came out of the experience pleased and maybe even impressed. The plotline, along with stellar performances by Alia Bhatt, Seema Pahwa and Jim Sarbh were too potent to overlook.

The film is based on a part of Hussain Zaidi’s book, Mafia Queens of Mumbai: Stories of Women from the Ganglands. And this isn’t the first time the writer’s work has been turned into a film.

Zaidi, who is one of the country’s most prominent crime reporters and investigative journalists, is also a prolific author known for his gripping stories on crime, the underworld, government and politics. There are many great films that have come out of Zaidi’s stories.

So, here is a list of Hussain Zaidi stories that have been turned in to movies worth a watch. Take a look.

1. Black Friday, 2004

Black Friday stars Kay Kay Menon, Aditya Srivastava and Pavan Malhotra and is based on the 1993 Mumbai blasts. And it is an adaptation of Zaidi’s Black Friday: The True Story of the Bombay Bomb Blasts.

Watch it here, on Disney + Hotstar.

2. Phantom, 2015

Starring Katrina Kaif and Saif Ali Khan, Phantom is about an ex-soldier who is on an assassination mission to course correct and restore his reputation. The film is based on Hussain Zaidi’s Mumbai Avengers.

You can catch the film on Netflix.

3. Shootout At Wadala, 2013

Shootout At Wadala is based on the real life event of gangster Manya Surve’s encounter, in 1982. It’s based on the book Dongri to Dubai: Six Decades of the Mumbai Mafia.

It’s available to watch on Netflix.

4. Class Of ’83, 2020

Class Of ’83 is based on Zaidi’s book The Class of 83 and tells the story of a police officer who gets demoted to a dean of a police academy and his journey of training five students as encounter specialists.

You can watch this on Netflix.

Apart from these, there are two projects that Zaidi contributed to as a screenwriter.

Lahore Confidential, 2021

The story of the film revolves around Ananya Srivastav (Richa Chadha), a RAW agent and her journey as she maneuvers a mission of a secret intelligence duty in Pakistan.

You can watch the film on ZEE5.

London Confidential: The Chinese Conspiracy, 2020

Another spy-thriller, London Confidential: The Chinese Conspiracy, stars the likes of Mouni Roy, Purab Kohli and Kulraj Randhawa. The story revolves around RAW and their mission to investigate a virus which is believed to have been spread by the Chinese Communist party.

It is available to watch on ZEE5.