Mafia Queens of Mumbai: Women Who Ruled the Ganglands

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They were as innocent as any average human being in that city but somehow got the company of men who walked on the path of crime and that pushed them into the underworld dealings. She was also one of the first to throw light into the life of sex workers, their hardships, their contribution to society, and argued for why they should be treated with equality. Nevertheless, I feel Zaidi has unnecessarily dragged the book by including the last two chapters which I feel a little out of place with the other mafia queens that got featured in this book. There are a few girlfriends and mistresses of the gangsters; Shamim Mirza Beg aka Mrs Paul, inamorata of Arif Beg, a close aid of Chhota Shakeel; Rubina Siraj Sayyed, mistress of Chhota Shakeel; Tarannum Khan, a bar dancer who made huge money in cricket betting; Archana Balmukund Sharma aka Manisha aka Lady Don with Killer Looks, her face resembled of Manisha Koirala, the Nepali beauty, she used several men even notorious gangsters for money. The former has allegedly shielded her husband against the police machinery and fake encounters multiple times.

Most of them are wives, girlfriends or mistresses of dreaded gangsters who were forced to enter the world of crime. Alpana Chowdhury of Daily News and Analysis mentioned, "From the choice of the women they have portrayed, to the racy style of writing, everything is calculated to make the book a page-turner.She was respected mostly for the reason that she also protected those involved in prostitution, and fought for decriminalization of prostitution. Following an attack on the notorious gangster Amar Naik, his brother Ashwin Naik was convinced to join the underworld by his wife Neeta Naik.

Something with so much potential but because the writing was lacking in coherency, critical thinking, analysis, or even basic human empathy, it proved a difficult read.

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She was allegedly involved in several kidnappings of builders and extortion cases in various cities. Born on February 28, 1962, in Mumbai, India, Zaidi has left an indelible mark on the literary and cinematic landscapes of India, particularly in the realm of crime and the Mumbai underworld. These women walked along with men and also at times, manipulated them to achieve the position they achieved in the profession they chose for themselves. However, she adopted that rather sportingly and ended up managing several brothels, helped several girls who were unknowingly lured into this business by their husbands/boyfriends.Kankana Basu of The Hindu felt, " Mafia Queens, by virtue of its very stark simplicity is a revelation, a rare treat for the discerning lover of crime stories. However, I must admit that while reading the story, “The Matriarch of Kamathipura” on Gangubai I truly felt that the story was almost like a screenplay. J. Srinivasan of The Hindu Business Line noted that it was "really fascinating to read how these women slip into different roles so effortlessly and efficiently. If you step back and think about the reasons that might have led them to live a life like that, I am sure you would know that many of them got into it by accident, some of them got into it for love, some of them started this to take revenge and some got into it by accident.

This book by Zaidi and Borges provided a new dimension in the ongoing debate "that female of the species is deadlier than the male. Every woman described in the book started the gangster life for revenge or to make ends meet or to simply protect her own.Notably, individuals such as Bilal Siddique, Neeraj Kumar (Commissioner of Delhi Police), Kashif Mashaikh, and many more have found their path to success as authors under his guidance. The Mumbai underworld, or the Mumbai Mafia is as much a part of the city as Bollywood is, and as much a stuff of legends. Notoriously referred to as the ‘Heroine’, Rubina was the girlfriend of the infamous gangster Chhota Shakeel. True stories of women who made their own footing in the dangerous and bloody of Mumbai's underworld and were unremembered until Mr Zaidi wrote this book. Mahalaxmi Papamani known as Amma – rages to riches from trading drugs and still unharmed by Narcotics Department.