Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; September 2, 2017)

Bringing the story of Haseena Parkar, the sister of don Dawood Ibrahim, to the big screen is, at best, tricky. Director Apoorva Lakhia learnt it the hard way when he set out to helm Haseena Parkar, headlining Shraddha Kapoor as aapa. “No studio was willing to touch the film,” begins Lakhia, recalling how distraught he was on finding no takers for such an ambitious project. “The fear that Dawood Ibrahim’s men would threaten them was looming large on them. I am glad that I have producers who backed me unquestioningly.”

Cinema is a rare medium that can bring forth the real person behind an enigmatic character. “Most studios are of the opinion that making a film on the life of any gangster is glorifying them. But honestly, it’s all a matter of perspective,” Lakhia argues. “There were 25,000 people to pay respects to Haseena aapa when she died. She was a godmother to many. But then again, the police had their own opinion of her and her brother.”

Recollecting his first meeting with Parkar, he says, “I was intimidated by her, she was an enigma. It took me 15 days to convince her for the biopic. But initially, it was difficult to get information from her. Of course, she warmed up eventually.”

Ask him if he fears any threats from Dawood and he says, “We didn’t get any call from him. I can’t live under the fear of it. It would just limit me as a filmmaker and that’s the last thing I want.”