Top 10 Bollywood Movies Based on Real Life Gangsters

Satya (1998)

Satya is a crime film, produced and directed by Ram Gopal Varma and written by Saurabh Shukla and Anurag Kashyap. The film follows Satya (Chakravarthy), an immigrant who comes to Mumbai looking for a job, befriends Bhiku Mhatre (Bajpayee) and is drawn into the Mumbai underworld. Satya is a gritty, hellishly exciting film that influenced every gangster film after it, and one where all the elements-performances, characters, music, cinematography, action-came together perfectly. It was a game changer of its time with certain fictional scenes but definitely a treat to watch.

Vaastav: The Reality (1999)

Vaastav: The Reality is an action-crime film written and directed by Mahesh Manjekar and starring Sanjay Dutt and Namrata Shirodkar. "The Reality" as described by the film's tagline, refers to the harsh realities of life in the Mumbai underworld. The film is said to be loosely based on the life of Mumbai underworld gangster Chhota Rajan.

It embarks one of the Dutt's best performance and deserve a visit.

Company (2002)

Company is a gangster film directed by Ram Gopal Varma and written by Jaideep Sahni.  It is the second film in the Indian Ganster triology, and a sequel to Satya (1998). A dark and realistic look at the Mumbai underworld through the battle between a powerful don and his vengeful former sidekick, Company is a fast-paced movie anchored by brilliant performances of its actors such as Ajay Devgn and  Vivek Oberoi.

Black Friday (2004)

A crime film written and directed by Anurag Kashyap is Based on Hussain Zaidi's book about the 1993 Bombay Bomb Blasts with similar name. It is an audacious, daring and explosive piece of cinema and most accurately based on real life events and characters. It sheds light on the reasons and motives of the characters who are responsible for the dreadful act. It shows how Dawood Ibrahim and Tiger Memon had executed the serial blasts. Watch it to see one of his best performance by Actor Pavan Malhotra as Tiger Memon.

D (2005)

D is a crime drama thriller film, directed by Vishram Sawant, co-written by Manish Gupta and Ram Gopal Varma. The film is a sequel to Varma's 2002 film Company. D is based on the real-life Mumbai underworld organization, the D-Company. The film contains some finely executed sequences and the performances are uniformly good. The best part of the film is its cast, with a number of realistic cameos and Randeep Hooda shining throughout is a star material.

Shootout at Lokhandwala (2007)

Shootout at Lokhandwala is an action gangster crime film directed by Apoorva Lakhia. It is based on the 1991 Lokhandwala Complex shootout, a real life gun battle between gangsters and Bombay Police. It is the story of an upcoming underworld gangster, Maya, and his highly skilled partner, Dilip. It explores the personal obsessions and sacrifices of the two protagonists with absorbing insight, with some of the most riveting action sequences to be ever filmed. It is embellished with a great cast and there are layers in the film that makes it worth watching.

Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai (2010)

Once Upon a Time in Mumbai is a gangster film written by Rajat Arora and directed by Milan Luthria. The film is loosely based on the lives of Mumbai underworld gangsters Haji Mastan and Dawood Ibrahim. It provides you with an outstanding cinematic experience offering you both substance and soul, even as it dabbles with a slice of reality but the film's biggest strength is unquestionably Ajay Devgan who brings freshness to a part we've seen so many times before. He has a scorching presence, and he knows how to use it.

Gangs of Wasseypur (2012)

Gangs of Wasseypur is a two-part crime film produced and directed by Anurag Kashyap. It is centered on the coal mafia (Mafia Raj) of Dhanbad, and the underlying power struggles, politics and vengeance between three crime families. Bolstered with riveting performances by an ensemble cast of Manoj Bajpai, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Richa Chadda, Huma Qureshi and Tigmanhu Dhulia in the major roles, it has thrilling plot dynamics, that seizes your full attention.

Shootout at Wadala (2013)

Shootout at Wadala is an action gangster crime film written and directed by Sanjay Gupta. It is loosely based on the book Dongri to Dubai: Six Decades of the Mumbai Mafia by Hussain Zaidi. The film dramatizes the encounter by Mumbai Police in which gangster Manya Surve was shot dead in 1982. John Abraham deserves credit for physically and emotionally giving his soul to the role. Overall the movie is a mass entertainer and a must watch.

D Day (2013)

D-Day is an action thriller film directed by Nikhil Advani. It is taut, transfixing and spellbinding, with an astounding finale. Rishi Kapoor with his demeanour and anominous aura makes the best Dawood Ibrahim. It is entertaining, realistic and slightly patriotic. The movie is fictional to great extent still stays rooted in the geopolitical reality of its region.