Over the past few days, Suniel Shetty has been poring over the pages of Black Scorpion - To Hell And Back. And it’s not just for leisure. mid-day has exclusively learnt that the actor is planning to turn the recently published book — which chronicles the life of Shyam Kishore Garikapati, one of the most feared operatives in Mumbai’s underworld in the late 1980s and 1990s — into a web series.

In some ways, Garikapati’s life has all that you need for a true crime thriller. Authored by veteran crime journalists Vijay Shekhar, Raju Santhanam, and Calvin Joshua, Black Scorpion revisits how Garikapati got pulled into gang wars and moved through the inner circles of Dawood Ibrahim, Arun Gawli, and more.

A source revealed, “Suniel thinks the story has the potential to be a thrilling web series. He likes such subjects. What makes the story more interesting is how Garikapati — known in the police circles as Black Scorpion — turned his life around after meeting top cop Kiran Bedi in Tihar Jail and eventually became a businessman.”

The actor, who is in talks with the authors for adaptation rights, may play the titular role. Co-author Joshua confirmed the development, saying, “When Suniel Anna read the synopsis, he was fascinated by the arc. He decided to not only unveil the book, but also pursue the rights to adapt it into a series.” Shekhar added that the star has been “a mentor” to him since they first met on the sets of Waqt Hamara Hai (1993).

At 16, Garikapati was on the brink of joining the Indian Air Force. But he got pulled into gang wars and moved through the inner circles of Dawood Ibrahim, Arun Gawli, and more. As a prisoner in Tihar Jail, he met top cop Kiran Bedi. That set him on a path of reform, and he eventually became a businessman.