O’Romeo, Dhurandhar The Revenge, Matka King: How ‘Bade Sahab’ returned in 3 different avatars in 3 consecutive months
Bollywood’s fascination with D-Company and Dawood Ibrahim has endured for over two decades, inspiring a steady stream of films and web shows. Interestingly, even though 2026 is only in its fourth month, two films and one series have already featured characters either based on or clearly inspired by the fugitive don. The trend began with the February 13 release O’Romeo , in which Avinash Tiwary played Jalaluddin, also known as Jalal, a character said to be loosely modelled on Dawood Ibrahim. The crime drama drew inspiration from the Sapna Didi chapter in S. Hussain Zaidi’s book Mafia Queens of Mumbai. A month later came Dhurandhar The Revenge , which was released on March 18. The first part, Dhurandhar (2025), had teased the presence of a mysterious figure known as Bade Sahab. In the sequel, the gangster was finally revealed, instantly becoming a major talking point on social media. Unlike the larger-than-life portrayals of the past, Dhurandhar The Revenge depicted him as frail and...