Haji Mastan
 |
Haji Mastan Mirza(BIBIN) | |
|---|---|
 Haji Mastan | |
| Born | March 1, 1926 Panaikulam, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Died | 1994[1] |
| Occupation(s) | Smuggler, Celebrity Gangster, Film Producer, Film Distributor, Filmmaker, Politician |
| Spouse | Sona aka Padmini |
Haji Mastan Mirza popularly known as Haji Mastan or Bawa was a Bombay (Mumbai) gangster and smuggler in the 1960s and 1970s. Mastan became the first celebrity gangster of the city, expanding his clout in the Indian film industry. As Mastan's influence in Bollywood grew, he began to produce films. He was also known for his links with the legendary actor Dilip Kumar.[2][3] During the Indian Emergency (1975 - 77) he was imprisoned. In prison he learned Hindi. Haji Mastan became a Muslim leader in 1984. He formed Dalit Muslim Surakhsha Maha Sangh in 1985, Which had Doulatram Kawle as a corporator. Aslam Kiratpuri a well known journalist, gave him ideas how to speak in public meetings after which he became a good speaker. He died in Mumbai in 1994.
Early life
Mastan Haider Mirza as born on 1 March 1926 into a farmer’s family in Panaikulam, a small village 20 km from Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu.[4]. His father, Haider Mirza, was a hard-working but impoverished farmer, who came to Mumbai after failing to make ends meet in his village.Father and son reached the city in 1934. After trying their hand at odd jobs, they managed to set up a small shop where they repaired cycles and two-wheelers in Bengali Pura, near Crawford Market. Mastan soon realized that even after all the toil he could only make a meagre 
5 a day.
As he would walk home to his basti from Crawford Market, he would see the grand theatres, Alfred ad Novelty, on south Mumbai’s Grant Road. He would stare at the cars of Mumbai’s rich and famous, their Malabar Hill bungalows, and dream. He wanted to be rich and famous.[4]
Coming to Bombay
In 1944, Mastan joined the Bombay docks as a coolie[4]. His job was to unload huge boxes and containers of ships coming from Aden, Dubai, Hong Kong and other countries . Here Mastan learnt a few tricks. The British levied import duty on the goods that came in and there was a good margin to be made if this could be evaded. In those days, Philips transistors and imported watches were a rage in Mumbai. Around that time, he met a man named Shaikh Mohammed Al Ghalib, an Arab by descent. Ghalib was looking for someone who was willing to help and support him do exactly the same.
Soon after independence, smuggling on a big scale was unheard of. There were petty smugglers dabbling in permissible quantities, which back then used to be six watches, two gold biscuits, four Philips transistors, and so on. The Arab told Mastan that being a coolie, it would be easy for him to tuck a couple of biscuits in his headband, stash a few watches in his underwear or a couple of transistors in his jhola. The Arab promised a good reward, and they were in business.
In 1950, Morarji Desai, chief minister of the then Bombay Presidency, imposed prohibition on liquor and other items. With such impositions in the state, the mafia of the time saw an opportunity to rake in more profits through smuggling.
Rise as the don of Bombay
The windfall came in 1956 when Mastan came in contact with Sukur Narayan Bakhia a resident of Daman and the biggest smuggler in Gujarat[4]. Bakhia and Mastan became partners and divided certain territories among themselves. Mastan handled the Bombay port and Bakhia the Daman port. The smuggled items would come to Daman port from the UAE and to Mumbai from Aden. Mastan took care of Bakhia’s consignments.
His rise was phenomenal. But Emergency took the wind out of his sails. The smuggler was incarcerated. The man who came out after 18 months in jail was reformed and surprisingly emerged a hero. During his jail term, he studied Hindi, the prominent language in Mumbai. Mastan Mirza began to introduce himself as Haji Mastan and began using the prefix of Haji, which refers to devout Muslims who have been on a pilgrimage to Makkah , before his name.
Haji Mastan planned his own foray into films with a project titled Mere Garib Nawaz and followed by other movies. He was a successful distributor and excelled in cinema business.
Contrary to the general belief, Haji Mastan Mirza was never an underworld don or even a goon for that matter.[citation needed] He was a smuggler and a shrewd man who rubbed shoulders with the high and mighty of his era. Be it Karim Lala or Varadarajan Mudaliar, Dilip Kumar or Shashi Kapoor. He had excellent relationship with Dharmendra, Feroz Khan, Raj Kapoor and Sanjeev Kumar[5]. Salim and Amitabh often visited him while Deewar was in the pipeline. He also had friends from the world of politics. To an extent, he was a simple man at home, with bare minimum needs and facilities. Though a notorious smuggler he was apprehended and jailed by agencies many time around. Though he possessed a huge mansion in a posh locality off Peddar Road, opposite Sophia College, he virtually lived his life in a small room built on the terrace of his bungalow. He worshipped the sea and had a clear view of the ocean from his terrace abode.
But once out of his home, Haji Mastan was a man of style. Always clad in pure white designer wear, a pack of imported cigarettes in hand, Mastan used to travel in a chauffeur driven white Mercedes-Benz, a status symbol in those days.
His room used to be full of Tamil newspapers, specially flown in from Chennai as that was the only language that Mastan knew to read.
He made millions through smuggling gold, silver and electronic goods and was once arrested and detained under the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities (COFEPOSA) Act during Emergency.
After all the cases against him were disposed off, Haji Mastan never indulged in smuggling again. He floated a political party and devoted time in holding periodic meetings with the poor and the needy in the minority community-dominated localities of south Mumbai and held public rallies at Mastan Talao near Nagpada police station. He also joined hands with anti-drug abuse activists like Dr Yusuf Merchant and implored the youth to stay away from killer drugs.
In the meantime, he courted a few Bollywood starlets and even tied the knot with a starlet called Sona.[5] He financed a few films for her. He gifted her a bungalow situated near actor Dev Anand's house at Juhu. He was a lonely man and had few but staunch friends. No wonder that when don Vardabhai (Varadarajan Mudaliar) died in Madras, Mastan chartered an Indian Airlines plane and brought his friend's body to Mumbai for last rites as was wished by Vardabhai.
In 1994, he died due to cardiac arrest.
In popular culture
There were some movies in Bollywood that were inspired from his life.
Deewaar - a well recognized film in Hindi crime genre - is based on the life of Haji Mastan. The protagonist in the film, played by Amitabh Bachchan survives as long as he wears a plate with the number 786, dies at the hands of his honest brother. To give the role authenticity, Amitabh Bachchan reportedly met Haji Mastan to study his mannerisms. Another movie Muqaddar Ka Sikandar,one of the top three grossing hits for the entire 1970s decade,[6] is also believed to be loosely based on his life. In Hindi movie "Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai" actor Ajay Devgan is playing a character for which Haji Mastan's life was a point of reference.
Haji Mastan is just a reference. Whatever film we do, it's a reflection of society. I am not doing his life story. It's just a reference point. The film (Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai) is absolutely fiction and every character has its own energy and attitude.
Some similarities might emerge. Someone asked me that in the film the character is in love with a heroine, which apparently happened in real life too, and he works in the dock, but Amitabh Bachchan did that too in "Deewar"
References
- ^ Deeptiman Tiwary; Abhijit Sathe (July 23, 2010). "The Real Haji Mastan". Mumbai Mirror. section City, p. 10. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
- ^ "Marilyn to Monica, don-showgirl relationships flourish". telegraphindia.com. November 14, 2005.
- ^ "Darkside". bollywhat.com. Retrieved July 30, 2010.
- ^ a b c d Hussain Zaidi (July 9, 2010). "The reluctant Mafioso". livemint.com. Retrieved July 29, 2010.
- ^ a b c "It's not Haji Mastan's life story: Ajay". Times of India. IANS. Jul 30, 2010.
- ^ "Top Earner Hindi Movies 1970-1979".