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Black Friday: The True Story Of The Bombay Bomb Blasts
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288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
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About the author
S. Hussain Zaidi
25 books572 followersS. Hussain Zaidi is a prominent Indian author, journalist, and screenwriter celebrated for his invaluable contributions to the world of crime reporting, investigative journalism, and storytelling. 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.
S. Hussain Zaidi embarked on his career as a crime reporter, where he honed his skills in uncovering hidden truths and delving into the intricacies of organized crime in Mumbai. His early experiences as a journalist provided him with a deep understanding of the criminal world and its dynamics.
Over the years, Zaidi transitioned from journalism to writing and screenwriting, bringing his unparalleled insights and storytelling prowess to a wider audience. His unique ability to humanize the characters in his narratives, whether they are criminals or law enforcement officers, sets his work apart.
"Black Friday: The True Story of the Bombay Bomb Blasts" - Zaidi's book "Black Friday" is a compelling account of the 1993 Bombay bombings. It presents a factual and thorough examination of the events leading up to the blasts and their aftermath.
"Dongri to Dubai: Six Decades of the Mumbai Mafia" - This critically acclaimed book stands as one of Zaidi's most notable works. It meticulously traces the evolution of organized crime in Mumbai over six decades. The book offers a comprehensive and gripping account of the city's criminal history.
"Mafia Queens of Mumbai: Stories of Women from the Ganglands" - In this compelling book, Zaidi sheds light on the powerful and enigmatic women who played significant roles in Mumbai's underworld. He tells their stories with empathy and detail, providing a fresh perspective on the world of crime.
S. Hussain Zaidi's influential literary works have transcended the confines of the written word and made a powerful impact on the silver screen. Some noteworthy adaptations of his books include:
"Black Friday" (2007) - Directed by Anurag Kashyap.
"Shootout at Wadala" (2013) - Directed by Sanjay Gupta.
"Class of '83" (2020) - Directed by Atul Sabharwal.
"Gangubai Kathiawadi" (2022) - Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, among many others.
In addition to his contributions to the film industry, S. Hussain Zaidi has harnessed his creative prowess in the realm of film and web series production. His noteworthy productions encompass projects like "Bard of Blood" and "Scoop" on Netflix, as well as the recent addition "Bambai Meri Jaan," available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
S. Hussain Zaidi has played a pivotal role in nurturing emerging literary talents within the authorship realm. 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. This mentoring initiative is facilitated through "Blue Salt Media," an imprint in collaboration with Penguin India.
S. Hussain Zaidi's work, both in literature and cinema, continues to captivate audiences with its gritty realism, engaging storytelling, and insights into the complex world of crime and law enforcement in India. His contributions have not only enriched the true crime genre but have also served as a source of inspiration for aspiring writers, journalists, and filmmakers.
S. Hussain Zaidi embarked on his career as a crime reporter, where he honed his skills in uncovering hidden truths and delving into the intricacies of organized crime in Mumbai. His early experiences as a journalist provided him with a deep understanding of the criminal world and its dynamics.
Over the years, Zaidi transitioned from journalism to writing and screenwriting, bringing his unparalleled insights and storytelling prowess to a wider audience. His unique ability to humanize the characters in his narratives, whether they are criminals or law enforcement officers, sets his work apart.
"Black Friday: The True Story of the Bombay Bomb Blasts" - Zaidi's book "Black Friday" is a compelling account of the 1993 Bombay bombings. It presents a factual and thorough examination of the events leading up to the blasts and their aftermath.
"Dongri to Dubai: Six Decades of the Mumbai Mafia" - This critically acclaimed book stands as one of Zaidi's most notable works. It meticulously traces the evolution of organized crime in Mumbai over six decades. The book offers a comprehensive and gripping account of the city's criminal history.
"Mafia Queens of Mumbai: Stories of Women from the Ganglands" - In this compelling book, Zaidi sheds light on the powerful and enigmatic women who played significant roles in Mumbai's underworld. He tells their stories with empathy and detail, providing a fresh perspective on the world of crime.
S. Hussain Zaidi's influential literary works have transcended the confines of the written word and made a powerful impact on the silver screen. Some noteworthy adaptations of his books include:
"Black Friday" (2007) - Directed by Anurag Kashyap.
"Shootout at Wadala" (2013) - Directed by Sanjay Gupta.
"Class of '83" (2020) - Directed by Atul Sabharwal.
"Gangubai Kathiawadi" (2022) - Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, among many others.
In addition to his contributions to the film industry, S. Hussain Zaidi has harnessed his creative prowess in the realm of film and web series production. His noteworthy productions encompass projects like "Bard of Blood" and "Scoop" on Netflix, as well as the recent addition "Bambai Meri Jaan," available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
S. Hussain Zaidi has played a pivotal role in nurturing emerging literary talents within the authorship realm. 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. This mentoring initiative is facilitated through "Blue Salt Media," an imprint in collaboration with Penguin India.
S. Hussain Zaidi's work, both in literature and cinema, continues to captivate audiences with its gritty realism, engaging storytelling, and insights into the complex world of crime and law enforcement in India. His contributions have not only enriched the true crime genre but have also served as a source of inspiration for aspiring writers, journalists, and filmmakers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 164 reviews
December 31, 2017
The moment I saw the cover of this book at the book stall, I knew I’ve to read it. I knew I wanted to know the heart, the mind, the souls of the beings who take pleasure in the cries, in the shrieks, in the grief of an orphan, of a widow, of a childless parent, of a handicap. I knew I am diving into a dark non-fiction, which will only dump a heavy sack of dark, brutal, naked truth on me; and so it did.
S. Hussain Zaidi, a journalist (specializing in crime reporting) is the writer of this book, aptly named after the name of this day, Black Friday. Why Black Friday? Because this, 12th Mrch, 1993, was the day when Bombay, now Mumbai, was drenched in the blood of hundreds of innocents, when the city trembled with not one, or two, or three, but 10 serial blasts in a span of 2 hours; of which last 5 went off in 30 minutes of time, mere 30 minutes. This was first in its kind of attack in a city worldwide. Yes, Bombay was the first ever prey of an evil attack of such a gruesome kind.
The credulity of the profession of the book’s writer had made me set great hopes from the book, that the information I’d get from the book will be reliable and far from the half-truths and hearsays. And, after finishing reading it, I can say I was proven right with my assumption. The book indeed made most of the things clear. It provided with a lot more than I had expected.
The book starts off with the description of the day, Black Friday. And then, as the chapter’s title indicates, starts with “The Beginning.” Eventually, we’re made aware of the masterminds behind the blast, the people involved in the execution of the plan, training provided to those people, the police teams involved in solving the case, the corruption which led to the landing of the ammunition, the involvement of the Bollywood names, the Pakistan’s role and much more.There’re dedicated chapters to each of these sections, and Zaidi has not rushed in jumping from a scene to an entirely different one.
How, like always, it came down to Hindu-Muslim religious war, shows the little good that religion has now held for us! Tiger Memon might have had his selfish motives behind these attacks, but the ones who actually planted the bombs, were fed with the absurd ideas of religion. What scared me more was the attack on the Muslim areas in Bombay, while this chain of blasts was still going on on Friday! Even in the midst of a massacre that Bombay was in on the day, people, instead of saving their own lives, couldn’t help destroying others’ lives. Such is the power of religion on humans now. Most of the evils today are taking shape in the name of religion. Religion, that was meant to unite us (in a way that I had never really understood), is the sole reason of destroying each one of us.
As for the writing style of Zaidi, I didn’t expect a whole new different level of writing, but decent writing and that I was fruitfully delivered with. Judging this book, on the basis of anything other than the factual content that it has to offer and the way that data is presented, would be me making a fool out of myself.
Go ahead with reading this book if you want to know about the backstory of Black Friday, its execution, and the havoc it created. But most importantly, to know how the real culprits, the masterminds behind the whole massacre, were still not captured.
The ending- “…when the initial plan to bomb Bombay was formulated, it was suggested that seven other cities – including New Delhi, Calcutta, Bangalore, Chennai and Ahemdabad – be bombed as well. However, due to logistical problems, this did not work out”- shook me to my core.
Black Friday isn’t the only Black day in the world’s history. There’ve been deadlier, more cruel days when humanity was lost to devils. But now the situation is such, every day is a Black Friday for some or the other place around the globe. People are killing on the name of God and religion; people are dying for the same reason. What will be left of the humans if religion was removed? Humanity perhaps; or maybe worse!
S. Hussain Zaidi, a journalist (specializing in crime reporting) is the writer of this book, aptly named after the name of this day, Black Friday. Why Black Friday? Because this, 12th Mrch, 1993, was the day when Bombay, now Mumbai, was drenched in the blood of hundreds of innocents, when the city trembled with not one, or two, or three, but 10 serial blasts in a span of 2 hours; of which last 5 went off in 30 minutes of time, mere 30 minutes. This was first in its kind of attack in a city worldwide. Yes, Bombay was the first ever prey of an evil attack of such a gruesome kind.
The credulity of the profession of the book’s writer had made me set great hopes from the book, that the information I’d get from the book will be reliable and far from the half-truths and hearsays. And, after finishing reading it, I can say I was proven right with my assumption. The book indeed made most of the things clear. It provided with a lot more than I had expected.
The book starts off with the description of the day, Black Friday. And then, as the chapter’s title indicates, starts with “The Beginning.” Eventually, we’re made aware of the masterminds behind the blast, the people involved in the execution of the plan, training provided to those people, the police teams involved in solving the case, the corruption which led to the landing of the ammunition, the involvement of the Bollywood names, the Pakistan’s role and much more.There’re dedicated chapters to each of these sections, and Zaidi has not rushed in jumping from a scene to an entirely different one.
How, like always, it came down to Hindu-Muslim religious war, shows the little good that religion has now held for us! Tiger Memon might have had his selfish motives behind these attacks, but the ones who actually planted the bombs, were fed with the absurd ideas of religion. What scared me more was the attack on the Muslim areas in Bombay, while this chain of blasts was still going on on Friday! Even in the midst of a massacre that Bombay was in on the day, people, instead of saving their own lives, couldn’t help destroying others’ lives. Such is the power of religion on humans now. Most of the evils today are taking shape in the name of religion. Religion, that was meant to unite us (in a way that I had never really understood), is the sole reason of destroying each one of us.
As for the writing style of Zaidi, I didn’t expect a whole new different level of writing, but decent writing and that I was fruitfully delivered with. Judging this book, on the basis of anything other than the factual content that it has to offer and the way that data is presented, would be me making a fool out of myself.
Go ahead with reading this book if you want to know about the backstory of Black Friday, its execution, and the havoc it created. But most importantly, to know how the real culprits, the masterminds behind the whole massacre, were still not captured.
The ending- “…when the initial plan to bomb Bombay was formulated, it was suggested that seven other cities – including New Delhi, Calcutta, Bangalore, Chennai and Ahemdabad – be bombed as well. However, due to logistical problems, this did not work out”- shook me to my core.
Black Friday isn’t the only Black day in the world’s history. There’ve been deadlier, more cruel days when humanity was lost to devils. But now the situation is such, every day is a Black Friday for some or the other place around the globe. People are killing on the name of God and religion; people are dying for the same reason. What will be left of the humans if religion was removed? Humanity perhaps; or maybe worse!
September 18, 2018
This was my second book (3 if u consider “Sacred Games”) by the author after his famous “From Dongri to Dubai” on the Mumbai Underworld. Impressed by his earlier books, I picked this up despite watching Kashyap’s movie based on this book. And like the earlier books 2 things struck me :-
The superlative knowledge and research of the author of the subject matter.
The trivialising masala tone in which he writes full with Filmy dialogues. Maybe this is writing non-fiction with Bambaiyaa smartness.
Perhaps this strange combination (almost like the professor Sanjay Dutt in Lage Raho Munnabhai) is what made the books very readable and yet credible/authentic. This book is a comprehensive account of the Bombay Bomb Blasts which rocked the city in early 1993. The motives, the methods, the investigation and trial have been covered in quite some detail. And inevitably there are scores of names - police officers, gangsters, lawyers, politicians which at times can seem overwhelming. But as mentioned above, the book is very readable. Do not hesitate in picking this up !
PS:-
a) Despite knowing about Pakistan's involvement in murdering hundreds of civilians in the Bombay blasts, Indian govt did nothing to retaliate.
b) "The revenge" theory i.e. many in the Islamic countries wanted revenge for a mosque is a bit ironical. What happened in India was disgusting but name one Muslim-majority country that treats its minorities well or is liberal and secular !
c) With all due respect to the eminent judges, wonder if Yaqub Menon deserved the death penalty ?
The superlative knowledge and research of the author of the subject matter.
The trivialising masala tone in which he writes full with Filmy dialogues. Maybe this is writing non-fiction with Bambaiyaa smartness.
Perhaps this strange combination (almost like the professor Sanjay Dutt in Lage Raho Munnabhai) is what made the books very readable and yet credible/authentic. This book is a comprehensive account of the Bombay Bomb Blasts which rocked the city in early 1993. The motives, the methods, the investigation and trial have been covered in quite some detail. And inevitably there are scores of names - police officers, gangsters, lawyers, politicians which at times can seem overwhelming. But as mentioned above, the book is very readable. Do not hesitate in picking this up !
PS:-
a) Despite knowing about Pakistan's involvement in murdering hundreds of civilians in the Bombay blasts, Indian govt did nothing to retaliate.
b) "The revenge" theory i.e. many in the Islamic countries wanted revenge for a mosque is a bit ironical. What happened in India was disgusting but name one Muslim-majority country that treats its minorities well or is liberal and secular !
c) With all due respect to the eminent judges, wonder if Yaqub Menon deserved the death penalty ?
November 29, 2012
It is no doubt that S. Hussain Zaidi has done a lot of groundwork in preparation to this book, the only one of it's kind describing the overarching crime of the Bombay Bomb Blasts. However, the writing is seriously mediocre, frequently moving into floral and trying too hard to create artificial emotion territory. It is a testimony to the genius of Anurag Kashyap that he made his taut thriller based on this slush of a material, and one's heart goes out to Zaidi himself, so obviously bereft and lacking of any authorial talents, seeing as this is the only book that has gone as deep into the subject matter, and one wanted to like it so much. Alas.
The book reads as a cross between a newspaper article and the notes' diary of a court reporter, it's attempts at characterization are a hoot, and the two hundred or so characters it throws at you in a whirlwind vanish in a sputter of a sentence. My initial impression was that perhaps Zaidi has done it deliberately, stayed utilitarian in his writing to cover for any imagined slights against the Dons he's writing about, but his later books stay with his uh .. style (I ran through the initial few pages of Dongri to Dubai), and I must say I am rather disappointed.
However, this book still gets an 3 star average rating for the sheer paucity of Indian authors writing about true crime, Meenal Baghel's (who is incidentally Zaidi's ex boss) Death in Mumbai being a notable exception.
The book reads as a cross between a newspaper article and the notes' diary of a court reporter, it's attempts at characterization are a hoot, and the two hundred or so characters it throws at you in a whirlwind vanish in a sputter of a sentence. My initial impression was that perhaps Zaidi has done it deliberately, stayed utilitarian in his writing to cover for any imagined slights against the Dons he's writing about, but his later books stay with his uh .. style (I ran through the initial few pages of Dongri to Dubai), and I must say I am rather disappointed.
However, this book still gets an 3 star average rating for the sheer paucity of Indian authors writing about true crime, Meenal Baghel's (who is incidentally Zaidi's ex boss) Death in Mumbai being a notable exception.
August 6, 2019
The most authentic and well researched book on the blasts that shook India. Written by India's ace crime reporter, the book details the planning that went behind the execution and the role Mumbai underworld played in executing it. It also bares the deep nexus between the corrupt policemen, custom officials and the underworld. Great fantastic read
September 2, 2016
When two giants fight, the expendables are always the common people—like the people butchered in the riots or killed in the blasts, none of whom perhaps shared a fraction of the religious and political zeal of their so-called leaders.
4.5 stars.
Despite being a true account of the ghastly event, Mr. Zaidi tells it like a story. And a gripping one at that.
The book starts at the BSE building on the day of the bombings and then takes us back to introduce many people like Dawood Ibrahim, Tiger Memon, which leads us to the fatal day and the investigation that follows.
From the events that "encouraged" the perpetrators, to the planning, organization, transportation, execution and the aftermath, Zaidi describes each and every aspect meticulously. I was angered at the death of innocent city dwellers, all because of a bunch of credulous fanatics who thought they were 'fighting for a noble cause'.
It is a good book which does not lose pace and is recommended to everyone.
September 6, 2022
This is an account of one of the biggest terrorist attacks on an Indian city - Bombay.
The author has very weel described the events, the conspiracies behind the attack and the investigation that was followed further. The description was so vivid that tears spilled as I read about the attack and the plight of the city following it.
This one must be read by everyone to know what was the truth that lead to such an attack. The narrative is compelling and this book celebrates the hardwork of each and every police officer, who had dedicated their day and night to their duty. To all those who had lost their lives in the bomb blasts, who had done nothing to be blamed for, are remembered forever in the hearts ...
The author has very weel described the events, the conspiracies behind the attack and the investigation that was followed further. The description was so vivid that tears spilled as I read about the attack and the plight of the city following it.
This one must be read by everyone to know what was the truth that lead to such an attack. The narrative is compelling and this book celebrates the hardwork of each and every police officer, who had dedicated their day and night to their duty. To all those who had lost their lives in the bomb blasts, who had done nothing to be blamed for, are remembered forever in the hearts ...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 8, 2015
What a detailed version of the serial bombings!!
I was a kid during the occurrence of those and had a very little knowledge, but this book has given an insight to the happenings. The author's narration was very shrewd and detail oriented.
Page after page, every chapter was presented in a very structured way and so clear that one may not get confused due to lot of characters. The pace with which the book goes on is commendable.
The best part of the book was the chapter which showcases the horror faced by the survivors and it definitely will touch you.
It's definitely a book worth reading/must read for those who r interested in the genres: crime, mafia and investigation.
I was a kid during the occurrence of those and had a very little knowledge, but this book has given an insight to the happenings. The author's narration was very shrewd and detail oriented.
Page after page, every chapter was presented in a very structured way and so clear that one may not get confused due to lot of characters. The pace with which the book goes on is commendable.
The best part of the book was the chapter which showcases the horror faced by the survivors and it definitely will touch you.
It's definitely a book worth reading/must read for those who r interested in the genres: crime, mafia and investigation.
November 3, 2015
On 9 March 1993 a small-time thug, Gul Mohammed, is detained at the Nav Pada police station and confesses to a conspiracy underway to bomb major locations around the city. The police dismiss his confession and, three days later, Bombay is torn apart by a series of explosions leaving 257 dead and close to 1,400 injured. Investigators discover that the bombs were made of RDX, smuggled into the city with the aid of customs officials and the border police.
In turn, the book traces the motive for the blasts to the Bombay riots, the bloody warring between the Hindu and Muslim communities from December 1992 to January 1993, which left over 1500 people dead. The Bombay riots were an unprecedented outburst of violence and abuse, resulting in enormous emotional trauma and property loss. Tiger Memon is an underworld don whose office is burnt to cinders during the riots. The suffering of the Muslim minorities in the riots incites a meeting of underworld leaders in Dubai, who then take it on themselves to seek retribution. Tiger Bhai one of the chief inflamed suggests an attack on Bombay as the strongest message of retaliation, thus leading to Black Friday 12 March 1993.
Asgar Muqadam, Tiger Memon's secretary is arrested on 14 March 1993. He is beaten till he provides whatever information he has about the bomb blasts and that initiates a full police inquiry. Deputy Commissioner of Police, Rakesh Maria is put in charge of the case. The next piece in the puzzle is the arrest of Badshah Khan, one of the henchmen who had left Bombay and gone into hiding, who was found by the police on 10 May 1993.
After the blast, the accomplices in the crime are forced to lead a life of anonymity and secrecy as it becomes evident that Mumbai police have started picking up the suspects one by one. To make matters worse, their passports seem to have been destroyed at the behest of Tiger Memon. In spite of assurances to the contrary, the high command blatantly refuses any help to them once the bombings have materialised. Tired of being let down by his own people and without a place to hide, Badshah Khan realises that there is no justification for his acts and decides to become a police witness. On 4 November 1993, the police file a charge sheet against 189 accused. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) takes over the case.
Then on 5 August 1994, Tiger's brother, Yaqub Memon, willingly turns himself in to the authorities.
In turn, the book traces the motive for the blasts to the Bombay riots, the bloody warring between the Hindu and Muslim communities from December 1992 to January 1993, which left over 1500 people dead. The Bombay riots were an unprecedented outburst of violence and abuse, resulting in enormous emotional trauma and property loss. Tiger Memon is an underworld don whose office is burnt to cinders during the riots. The suffering of the Muslim minorities in the riots incites a meeting of underworld leaders in Dubai, who then take it on themselves to seek retribution. Tiger Bhai one of the chief inflamed suggests an attack on Bombay as the strongest message of retaliation, thus leading to Black Friday 12 March 1993.
Asgar Muqadam, Tiger Memon's secretary is arrested on 14 March 1993. He is beaten till he provides whatever information he has about the bomb blasts and that initiates a full police inquiry. Deputy Commissioner of Police, Rakesh Maria is put in charge of the case. The next piece in the puzzle is the arrest of Badshah Khan, one of the henchmen who had left Bombay and gone into hiding, who was found by the police on 10 May 1993.
After the blast, the accomplices in the crime are forced to lead a life of anonymity and secrecy as it becomes evident that Mumbai police have started picking up the suspects one by one. To make matters worse, their passports seem to have been destroyed at the behest of Tiger Memon. In spite of assurances to the contrary, the high command blatantly refuses any help to them once the bombings have materialised. Tired of being let down by his own people and without a place to hide, Badshah Khan realises that there is no justification for his acts and decides to become a police witness. On 4 November 1993, the police file a charge sheet against 189 accused. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) takes over the case.
Then on 5 August 1994, Tiger's brother, Yaqub Memon, willingly turns himself in to the authorities.
February 3, 2014
I'm sure the transition from crime journalist to author is a difficult task, as your audience/reader expects a different writing style. As a huge fan of "Mafia Queens of Mumbai" and "Dongri To Dubai," this book makes it evident that Zaidi's writing skills became more polished with time. "Black Friday" is an incredible piece of work, as it provides deep insight into the Bombay Blasts, the masterminds behind it and those connected with them. However, "Black Friday" reads more like a (long) newspaper article at times, rather than a novel. This does not make for "light" reading. In fact, for a more "broken down," easy to follow version of "Black Friday," I'd recommend watching the Anurag Kashyap film - which was, in fact, based on this book. He's done a great job bringing these words to film and he has kept true to this book.
However, this is not me saying this book isn't amazing - it is. It's so interesting to read about the people, the families and even the celebrities connected to the Bombay blasts. There's even a good 15 pages dedicated to Sanjay Dutt's case and how Dutt got caught up in his own mess. A very good book, no doubt, but for me personally, it's the weakest of Zaidi's books. Simply put, it doesn't read as a novel, but rather a newspaper.
However, this is not me saying this book isn't amazing - it is. It's so interesting to read about the people, the families and even the celebrities connected to the Bombay blasts. There's even a good 15 pages dedicated to Sanjay Dutt's case and how Dutt got caught up in his own mess. A very good book, no doubt, but for me personally, it's the weakest of Zaidi's books. Simply put, it doesn't read as a novel, but rather a newspaper.
April 18, 2013
At the risk of sounding stupid ........I was born in1988 so I don really belong to the generation that was perturbed by the 93 blasts ... Yes u talk about world trade centre attack or Bombay 26/11 attacks it might bring tears to my eyes but not the 93 blasts ...... But this book changed that I felt lik i was living through those blasts .... What's perplexes you is whose side to be on...... The book is written from everyone's point of view it's difficult for u to decide how it is that the world can be a better place when everyone is so bent avenging .....
January 14, 2014
I cant really make up mu mind what was better the movie or the book. I guess both have ingenious qualities because the story itself is non-fiction and incredulous. It's just mind boggling to learn about people who will do anything in the name of revenge and religion. Use all the teachings of religion for the wrong reasons. Rope in the naive just so that your end is served. Its a wonderful book but it just breaks my heart to say that its wonderful because I understand the pain and loss that people went thru to give birth to such a story.
April 28, 2022
The book speaks of events leading up to, during, and following the 1993 serial blasts in Mumbai; it was published in 2002, following which there have been several developments in the cases of both the Mumbai underworld and further terror attacks and blasts.
Reading it from the other side of those happenings, as well as looking further into the communal undercurrent behind these attacks and the retaliatory violence is extremely interesting, as is contrasting religious tensions from nearly thirty years ago to the ones that exist now in the country's current political scenario. The narration style is however quite flat and dry except in the portions directly narrated by Badshah Khan; even for non-fiction there should be a way to make it more engaging.
Apart from those portions, the other standout is the last chapter, detailing stories of common folk affected by the attacks, and this particular quote resonates quite deeply:
"When two giants fight, the expendables are always the common people—like the people butchered in the riots or killed in the blasts, none of whom perhaps shared a fraction of the religious and political zeal of their so-called leaders. The common man will keep paying the price for the ambitions of his leaders."
It is as true in 2022 as it was in 2002, as it was in 1993.
Reading it from the other side of those happenings, as well as looking further into the communal undercurrent behind these attacks and the retaliatory violence is extremely interesting, as is contrasting religious tensions from nearly thirty years ago to the ones that exist now in the country's current political scenario. The narration style is however quite flat and dry except in the portions directly narrated by Badshah Khan; even for non-fiction there should be a way to make it more engaging.
Apart from those portions, the other standout is the last chapter, detailing stories of common folk affected by the attacks, and this particular quote resonates quite deeply:
"When two giants fight, the expendables are always the common people—like the people butchered in the riots or killed in the blasts, none of whom perhaps shared a fraction of the religious and political zeal of their so-called leaders. The common man will keep paying the price for the ambitions of his leaders."
It is as true in 2022 as it was in 2002, as it was in 1993.
June 17, 2024
True story behind the mumbai bomb blasts. Gripping and very engaging. I couldn't stop reading till I reached the last page.
December 25, 2023
Real investigations story of the 1993 series bomb attacks on mumbai, Author Ravi belegere excellently translated it into kannada language.
January 10, 2015
There are no personal memories that I can associate with the serial bomb blasts of Mumbai from 1993. I was but a child at this time and to whom Mumbai was as far away as the sun. This was a time when the only medium of news was the print and there was only one nationalized television channel across India which inevitably meant that the news reached us in the south of India perhaps very late in the evening through the clipped and efficient voice of the Doordarshan (the nationalized channel) news reader or through the papers the next day. A good 22 years later when I revisited the horrific incident through Hussain Zaidi’s book, it gives me a chill getting to know the grisly details of the first bloody act of terrorism in mainland India.
On the 12th of March 1993, a series of bomb explosions ruptured the arteries of Mumbai and brought the city to its knees. A bewildered city was left with over and above 200 dead and even more hundreds wounded and property damage that stretched beyond imagination. The people who orchestrated and executed the attack knew where to strike to infuse the maximum damage and shock value and did this to their best. Attacks centered mostly around the mad crowds and mayhem at the stock exchange and also at various crowded locales across the city. It took a lot of effort from the people of Mumbai and from the law enforcement agencies to tide over these moments of horror and get life back on track. The storyline of the book traces the developments across the day of the bombings and the subsequent police investigation and the apprehension of the culprits.
Mumbai at this time was at a flashpoint for earlier in 1992 was when the Babri Masjid was demolished in Ayodhya and communal riots spread through the nation. Late 1992 and the first few months of 1993 saw the bloodiest riots spreading through Mumbai in which close to a thousand people were killed. Against this backdrop a nexus of communalist hatred , mafia money and personal vendettas gave rise to this unspeakably brutal act of terrorism. The book describes in detail the depths to which law enforcement went to in order to elicit the truth. Much has been spoken about the brutalities of the police and the fact that innocents were locked up for no reason at all and yet the investigators moved on doing what they were best at doing. There was also a celebrity aspect to this whole investigation for this was the first time that the shady deals that Bollywood stuck with the Mumbai underworld came to light. This also proved to be the first case where a reigning actor : Sanjay Dutt was investigated and jailed for his involvement with the mafia. The final chapters deal with the handing over of the case to the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) and the subsequent court hearings. Much cannot be said of this for the prime accused in the case – Tiger Memon is still at large.
There was a film made by writer/director Anurag Kashyap which was based on this book that made me interested in reading this account. While Kashyap has added some flavors of his own into the mix, it stays largely faithful to this book. It is a fairly quick and accessible read into the intricacies behind one of the deadliest terror attacks that India has faced.
Recommended.
On the 12th of March 1993, a series of bomb explosions ruptured the arteries of Mumbai and brought the city to its knees. A bewildered city was left with over and above 200 dead and even more hundreds wounded and property damage that stretched beyond imagination. The people who orchestrated and executed the attack knew where to strike to infuse the maximum damage and shock value and did this to their best. Attacks centered mostly around the mad crowds and mayhem at the stock exchange and also at various crowded locales across the city. It took a lot of effort from the people of Mumbai and from the law enforcement agencies to tide over these moments of horror and get life back on track. The storyline of the book traces the developments across the day of the bombings and the subsequent police investigation and the apprehension of the culprits.
Mumbai at this time was at a flashpoint for earlier in 1992 was when the Babri Masjid was demolished in Ayodhya and communal riots spread through the nation. Late 1992 and the first few months of 1993 saw the bloodiest riots spreading through Mumbai in which close to a thousand people were killed. Against this backdrop a nexus of communalist hatred , mafia money and personal vendettas gave rise to this unspeakably brutal act of terrorism. The book describes in detail the depths to which law enforcement went to in order to elicit the truth. Much has been spoken about the brutalities of the police and the fact that innocents were locked up for no reason at all and yet the investigators moved on doing what they were best at doing. There was also a celebrity aspect to this whole investigation for this was the first time that the shady deals that Bollywood stuck with the Mumbai underworld came to light. This also proved to be the first case where a reigning actor : Sanjay Dutt was investigated and jailed for his involvement with the mafia. The final chapters deal with the handing over of the case to the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) and the subsequent court hearings. Much cannot be said of this for the prime accused in the case – Tiger Memon is still at large.
There was a film made by writer/director Anurag Kashyap which was based on this book that made me interested in reading this account. While Kashyap has added some flavors of his own into the mix, it stays largely faithful to this book. It is a fairly quick and accessible read into the intricacies behind one of the deadliest terror attacks that India has faced.
Recommended.
October 11, 2015
The afternoon of 12 March, 1993 is the day when time stood still in Bombay. The city of Bombay had been rocked by a series of explosions which cut through the heart of Bombay, spreading terror and destruction over a period of two hours. These blasts occurred in some of the most densely populated areas of the city. Starting from the Bombay Stock Exchange in South Bombay during lunch hours, the blasts ripped through the basement of Air India building at Nariman Point, the Regional Passport Office in Worli, Masjid Bunder, the petrol pump opposite the Shiv Sena Bhavan in Shivaji Park, Zaveri Bazaar, Plaza Cinema, Hotel Sea Rock to the Centaur Hotel in Juhu.
The fatalities included ordinary people like samosa and sandwich vendors, struggling to earn their daily living in densely populated areas outside the Stock Exchange and nearby offices. The book ‘Black Friday’ by S. Hussain Zaidi puts forward the chilling toll: 257 killed or missing, 713 injured leaving a city completely in shambles. My interest in reading ‘Black Friday’ was revived due to the recent hanging of Yakub Memon, one of the key protagonists of the serial blasts. I wanted to understand the reason behind his hanging before I could pass a judgment on him.
‘Black Friday’ is a result of meticulous research conducted over four years. Written by S. Hussain Zaidi, an authoritative voice on the Mumbai mafia and crime network provides chilling insights into the criminal minds with some of India’s most notorious names: Dawood Ibrahim and Tiger Memon. This has been brought out through detailed interviews with some of the closest aides of the aforementioned masterminds. It reveals the true dimensions of the macabre and sinister plan which spanned several countries and had been months in the making.
The most unconventional aspect of the book is certainly the lack of a central protagonist. This makes the writer alternate between several points of views including those police officers from Mumbai Police, the accused gangsters and their pawns. Given that it is always a challenge to develop all their viewpoints, Hussain Zaidi succeeds quite well, doing justice to them, skillfully narrating their stories in a moderately paced episodic structure.
Despite its strong tone, the author's voice in 'Black Friday' is subtle and takes the form of an undertone. This, in my opinion, works firmly as an advantage for the reader as they are fed with numerous interpretations and facts which unfold as the book progress, the final judgment is left to the intelligence of the readers to pass.
The fatalities included ordinary people like samosa and sandwich vendors, struggling to earn their daily living in densely populated areas outside the Stock Exchange and nearby offices. The book ‘Black Friday’ by S. Hussain Zaidi puts forward the chilling toll: 257 killed or missing, 713 injured leaving a city completely in shambles. My interest in reading ‘Black Friday’ was revived due to the recent hanging of Yakub Memon, one of the key protagonists of the serial blasts. I wanted to understand the reason behind his hanging before I could pass a judgment on him.
‘Black Friday’ is a result of meticulous research conducted over four years. Written by S. Hussain Zaidi, an authoritative voice on the Mumbai mafia and crime network provides chilling insights into the criminal minds with some of India’s most notorious names: Dawood Ibrahim and Tiger Memon. This has been brought out through detailed interviews with some of the closest aides of the aforementioned masterminds. It reveals the true dimensions of the macabre and sinister plan which spanned several countries and had been months in the making.
The most unconventional aspect of the book is certainly the lack of a central protagonist. This makes the writer alternate between several points of views including those police officers from Mumbai Police, the accused gangsters and their pawns. Given that it is always a challenge to develop all their viewpoints, Hussain Zaidi succeeds quite well, doing justice to them, skillfully narrating their stories in a moderately paced episodic structure.
Despite its strong tone, the author's voice in 'Black Friday' is subtle and takes the form of an undertone. This, in my opinion, works firmly as an advantage for the reader as they are fed with numerous interpretations and facts which unfold as the book progress, the final judgment is left to the intelligence of the readers to pass.
July 20, 2012
Just finished reading the book and to spice it up also saw the movie.While always the books have the upper edge over the movies , in my personal view the movie was better than the book . The flow of the book could have been much better .Whilst I do not know much abt the facts and figures mentioned in the book , there were two slips in my view .
First : At one reference point about Aircraft bombing , Pan Am Airlines Lockerbie incident is given as an example, the year and airlines are all correct but , the flight was enroute from Heathrow ( UK )to JFK Airport ( US) and not Rome as mentioned
Second : Lufthansa Flight LH 765 is said to be flying from Kathmandu to India ( Mumbai ) but the flight is a daily flight from Mumbai to Munich .
On the positive side the book showcases how valiant and aggresive the Mumbai poilce were in nabbing the terrorists in a short span of time.The book is nail biting and its really hard to imagine the horrors the common people went through.
Black Friday: The True Story Of The Bombay Bomb Blasts
First : At one reference point about Aircraft bombing , Pan Am Airlines Lockerbie incident is given as an example, the year and airlines are all correct but , the flight was enroute from Heathrow ( UK )to JFK Airport ( US) and not Rome as mentioned
Second : Lufthansa Flight LH 765 is said to be flying from Kathmandu to India ( Mumbai ) but the flight is a daily flight from Mumbai to Munich .
On the positive side the book showcases how valiant and aggresive the Mumbai poilce were in nabbing the terrorists in a short span of time.The book is nail biting and its really hard to imagine the horrors the common people went through.
Black Friday: The True Story Of The Bombay Bomb Blasts
August 16, 2014
The novel, by S. Hussain Zaidi, is a work of four years of extensive research about the Bombay bomb blasts which were a devastating consequence of various communal and terrorist actions. The novel describes the planning and execution in great details. The way ammunition was smuggled into the country, the training of terrorists in Pakistan and the final execution of the horrendous act reveal huge flaws in our social fabric and political machine. The efforts taken by Mumbai police in maintaining peace and order, as well as making rapid progress in investigation and arrests is commendable. The novel is a testament to the true grit of people of Mumbai and the vigilant police force.
August 30, 2016
A riveting book that takes you through the heart of the conspiracy , the first terrorist attack on Mumbai, or Bombay as it was known at that time. Hard to put down. Another masterpiece from the author Hussain Zaidi, I have read another of books "Dongri to Dubai" and this was even better than that. A great book !
October 24, 2017
They say journalism is Literature in a hurry, Well this is a mix of both research and literature at its best. The detailed descriptions of the events and the important characters is something that keeps you tuck to the book and makes you search the internet to know more about their lives. Not trying to glorify the accused in the book but a research on their lives itself is so interesting.
April 29, 2015
black friday -- story of bombay bomb blasts
a gripping and well written book. Gives one a in-depth and yet simple explanation on the bombay bomb blasts. The author's sketchy writing about Dawood's role in the whole episode does rob the story of critical truths
a gripping and well written book. Gives one a in-depth and yet simple explanation on the bombay bomb blasts. The author's sketchy writing about Dawood's role in the whole episode does rob the story of critical truths
September 14, 2015
A brilliant narration of how the Mumbai blasts case was cracked down by the Mumbai police very effectively, specially the roles of A.S. Samra and Rakesh Maria.
October 12, 2015
Superb research & narration! You feel like you are present at every location mentioned. Horrifying truth & memories.
May 29, 2018
One of the best true crime books I have read. Detailed and compelling in its narrative, often reads like a novel. A must read for all Indians.
October 5, 2025
#Binge Reviewing my previous Reads # True Crime #Indian Underworld and Terrorism
If there’s one book that cracked open the silence around India’s darkest chapter in modern urban history, it’s S. Hussain Zaidi’s Black Friday: The True Story of the Bombay Bomb Blasts.
Before Netflix, before long-form podcasts, before the slick packaging of “based-on-true-events” web series, Zaidi was doing the real work — trawling through police records, speaking to witnesses and accused, threading together the dense, bloody web of a conspiracy that forever changed Mumbai.
When it first came out in 2002, Black Friday was not just another crime chronicle — it was a thunderclap. Zaidi’s reporting on the 1993 Bombay bomb blasts reads like a hybrid of journalism, oral history, and noir narrative, where every paragraph carries the tension of a city teetering between chaos and resilience. It is reportage at its most dangerous — the kind that could easily get you killed, discredited, or silenced.
Zaidi’s style here is sharp, documentary-like, but not detached. He humanizes the perpetrators without justifying them — a near-impossible balance. Dawood Ibrahim, Tiger Memon, Yakub Memon, and a whole constellation of foot soldiers emerge not as caricatures of evil but as real, broken, frightened men trapped in a world of their own making. The book unravels the blast conspiracy — how the anger after the 1992-93 riots curdled into vengeance, how Pakistan’s ISI found fertile ground for manipulation, and how ordinary men were recruited into an extraordinary act of terror that would scar India for decades.
Zaidi’s narrative method is forensic and cinematic, but his lens remains journalistic. He never resorts to moral panic or melodrama; the horror emerges organically from detail. The careful reconstruction of timelines, the procedural grind of the police investigation, the unfiltered portrayal of Bombay’s underbelly — it is all there, breathing and bleeding through the page.
Comparing Black Friday to Zaidi’s later works — like Mafia Queens of Mumbai or From Dubai to Karachi — is like tracing the evolution of an author from chronicler to curator of the underworld. Black Friday is raw and investigative; it’s the journalist at the crime scene, taking notes under a flickering tube light. Mafia Queens, on the other hand, is more anthropological — it peers into the psychology of women who survived and ruled in a world built by violent men. And From Dubai to Karachi feels geopolitical, mapping Dawood’s transformation from gangster to a ghostly figure in the global terror network.
If Black Friday is the autopsy of an event, From Dubai to Karachi is the X-ray of an empire that rose from it. Together, they form two halves of Zaidi’s magnum opus — one showing how Mumbai exploded, the other tracing how Dawood and his network metastasized across borders.
There is something about Zaidi’s prose that hits like monsoon thunder — his sentences are short, taut, and soaked in dread. You can almost smell the fear in the corridors of Mumbai Police headquarters, the sweat of interrogation rooms, the exhaustion of officers piecing together fragments of evidence. However, what makes Black Friday so compelling is that it is not just about the crime; it is about the city — the bruised, electric, sleepless body of Bombay itself.
Zaidi’s Bombay is not Bollywood’s dreamscape. It is a wounded animal, licking its burns from the riots, confused by religion and rage, haunted by the ghosts of partition and communal suspicion. In this sense, Black Friday becomes a sociological text as much as a journalistic one. The blasts are not random acts of terror; they are the terminal symptom of decades of urban neglect, political manipulation, and the slow corrosion of faith.
That moral and emotional complexity is what elevates Zaidi’s book from simple reportage to literature. There’s a Kafkaesque sense of inevitability here — of a machine grinding forward with terrifying logic. Once the first spark of revenge is lit, the rest of the narrative unfolds with a grim fatalism.
One cannot talk about Black Friday without mentioning Anurag Kashyap’s 2004 film adaptation, which turned the book into an almost ethnographic cinematic experience. Kashyap’s film retains Zaidi’s granular realism and adds a feverish sense of urgency — making it one of the finest Indian films ever made on the anatomy of a crime. In fact, the film amplified the book’s reach and reaffirmed Zaidi’s position as the definitive chronicler of Mumbai’s moral collapse.
Yet the book remains the richer text — because Zaidi gives you what cinema cannot: the silences, the contradictions, the texture of truth told through official lies. He interviews men who are both guilty and lost, officers who are both heroic and corrupt, and bystanders who have long stopped believing in justice. In his world, morality is muddy, and survival is the only law that truly exists.
When placed beside Dangerous Minds, Zaidi’s Black Friday feels more historical and foundational. Dangerous Minds (co-written with Brijesh Singh) is psychological — it peers into the interiority of criminals, their intellectual deformities, their perverse rationality. However, Black Friday is about scale — about systems breaking down, cities imploding, and nations failing to comprehend what is festering in their underbellies.
If Dangerous Minds is about criminal minds, Black Friday is about the criminal ecosystem — the perfect storm of anger, ideology, and exploitation. Both books complement each other beautifully, showing Zaidi’s versatility as a writer who can move between intimate psychoanalysis and grand historical narratives without losing credibility.
There’s another remarkable quality in Zaidi’s work: his refusal to sanitize. He does not write “safe” true crime for armchair thrill-seekers. His books are full of discomfort — communal fault lines, bureaucratic apathy, and human tragedy. In Black Friday, the testimonies of accused men are as vital as the voices of victims. This even-handedness is not moral neutrality — it’s journalistic integrity. He’s not telling you who to hate; he’s showing you how hate itself operates.
And that’s why Black Friday still feels painfully contemporary. Post-9/11, post-26/11, post-Pulwama — the book reads like prophecy. The machinery of hate, the ease of radicalization, the way state systems weaponize grief — it’s all there, laid bare with journalistic clarity and moral urgency.
Zaidi’s greatest triumph, however, is emotional. Beneath all the procedural precision, there’s a deep sadness that runs through Black Friday. You feel it in the way he describes the accused, often young, poor, disoriented men drawn into violence by the illusion of purpose. You feel it in the way he portrays police officers — cynical but weary, aware that their victories are temporary and their justice imperfect. And you feel it most in his portrayal of Bombay itself, the city that never sleeps but never really heals either.
That pathos ties his entire oeuvre together. In Mafia Queens of Mumbai, the tragedy is gendered — women who rule the ganglands end up paying with their humanity. In From Dubai to Karachi, the tragedy is political — a gangster so powerful that he becomes untouchable, cursed to exist as a ghost. And in Dangerous Minds, the tragedy is psychological — the revelation that intelligence, when untethered from empathy, breeds monsters. But Black Friday? It’s existential. It’s about what happens when a city’s soul is shattered and no one even remembers what it used to look like.
Zaidi’s craft is also notable for his moral courage. He doesn’t hide behind euphemism or “national security” jargon. He names names, dates, and places. He confronts corruption, bureaucratic failure, and the chilling complicity of state agencies. It’s not an easy book to read, nor an easy one to write. Every paragraph feels earned — the product of risk, persistence, and sleepless nights.
And yet, for all its grimness, there’s something oddly life-affirming about Black Friday. Maybe it’s the endurance of those who survived. Maybe it’s the stubbornness of the city itself. Or maybe it’s the reminder that truth — even when terrifying — is still worth chasing.
In the broader map of Indian non-fiction, Black Friday sits alongside works like Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark’s The Siege or Rahul Pandita’s The Lover Boy of Bahawalpur. However, unlike them, Zaidi writes from within — from the streets, not from editorial desks. He understands the pulse of the city, the smell of gunpowder in the rain, the chaos of crime meetings in seedy Irani cafés. His writing is not just informed; it’s lived.
If The Siege is about the polished, global face of terror, Black Friday is about its roots in our own backyard — where poverty, prejudice, and politics collide to create men capable of unspeakable acts.
Looking back now, over two decades later, Black Friday remains the book that shaped an entire genre. Without it, there would be no Mafia Queens, no Dongri to Dubai, no Dangerous Minds. It was Zaidi’s baptism by fire, his initiation into the world he would go on to map for the rest of his career.
But what’s fascinating is how each of his later books expands on the moral questions first posed in Black Friday. What is justice in a corrupt system? Can violence ever be righteous? What happens when crime becomes a career — not just for gangsters, but for cops, politicians, and journalists alike?
Zaidi doesn’t answer these questions outright. He lets the reader feel the contradictions, sit with the unease. And that’s what makes his writing mature and timeless — it doesn’t preach; it illuminates.
To sum it up, Black Friday is the heartbeat of Indian true crime writing — relentless, precise, unafraid. It’s the book that forced a nation to look in the mirror and see the fractures beneath its glittering skyline.
If Mafia Queens of Mumbai gives you the personal sagas, From Dubai to Karachi shows you the global networks, and Dangerous Minds explores the criminal psyche — then Black Friday is the genesis text. It’s the Big Bang that birthed Zaidi’s entire literary universe.
It is where the wounds were first documented, the ghosts first named, and the moral chaos of the Indian underworld first turned into narrative. And decades later, that pulse still beats — erratic, unhealed, and disturbingly human.
A must read.
If there’s one book that cracked open the silence around India’s darkest chapter in modern urban history, it’s S. Hussain Zaidi’s Black Friday: The True Story of the Bombay Bomb Blasts.
Before Netflix, before long-form podcasts, before the slick packaging of “based-on-true-events” web series, Zaidi was doing the real work — trawling through police records, speaking to witnesses and accused, threading together the dense, bloody web of a conspiracy that forever changed Mumbai.
When it first came out in 2002, Black Friday was not just another crime chronicle — it was a thunderclap. Zaidi’s reporting on the 1993 Bombay bomb blasts reads like a hybrid of journalism, oral history, and noir narrative, where every paragraph carries the tension of a city teetering between chaos and resilience. It is reportage at its most dangerous — the kind that could easily get you killed, discredited, or silenced.
Zaidi’s style here is sharp, documentary-like, but not detached. He humanizes the perpetrators without justifying them — a near-impossible balance. Dawood Ibrahim, Tiger Memon, Yakub Memon, and a whole constellation of foot soldiers emerge not as caricatures of evil but as real, broken, frightened men trapped in a world of their own making. The book unravels the blast conspiracy — how the anger after the 1992-93 riots curdled into vengeance, how Pakistan’s ISI found fertile ground for manipulation, and how ordinary men were recruited into an extraordinary act of terror that would scar India for decades.
Zaidi’s narrative method is forensic and cinematic, but his lens remains journalistic. He never resorts to moral panic or melodrama; the horror emerges organically from detail. The careful reconstruction of timelines, the procedural grind of the police investigation, the unfiltered portrayal of Bombay’s underbelly — it is all there, breathing and bleeding through the page.
Comparing Black Friday to Zaidi’s later works — like Mafia Queens of Mumbai or From Dubai to Karachi — is like tracing the evolution of an author from chronicler to curator of the underworld. Black Friday is raw and investigative; it’s the journalist at the crime scene, taking notes under a flickering tube light. Mafia Queens, on the other hand, is more anthropological — it peers into the psychology of women who survived and ruled in a world built by violent men. And From Dubai to Karachi feels geopolitical, mapping Dawood’s transformation from gangster to a ghostly figure in the global terror network.
If Black Friday is the autopsy of an event, From Dubai to Karachi is the X-ray of an empire that rose from it. Together, they form two halves of Zaidi’s magnum opus — one showing how Mumbai exploded, the other tracing how Dawood and his network metastasized across borders.
There is something about Zaidi’s prose that hits like monsoon thunder — his sentences are short, taut, and soaked in dread. You can almost smell the fear in the corridors of Mumbai Police headquarters, the sweat of interrogation rooms, the exhaustion of officers piecing together fragments of evidence. However, what makes Black Friday so compelling is that it is not just about the crime; it is about the city — the bruised, electric, sleepless body of Bombay itself.
Zaidi’s Bombay is not Bollywood’s dreamscape. It is a wounded animal, licking its burns from the riots, confused by religion and rage, haunted by the ghosts of partition and communal suspicion. In this sense, Black Friday becomes a sociological text as much as a journalistic one. The blasts are not random acts of terror; they are the terminal symptom of decades of urban neglect, political manipulation, and the slow corrosion of faith.
That moral and emotional complexity is what elevates Zaidi’s book from simple reportage to literature. There’s a Kafkaesque sense of inevitability here — of a machine grinding forward with terrifying logic. Once the first spark of revenge is lit, the rest of the narrative unfolds with a grim fatalism.
One cannot talk about Black Friday without mentioning Anurag Kashyap’s 2004 film adaptation, which turned the book into an almost ethnographic cinematic experience. Kashyap’s film retains Zaidi’s granular realism and adds a feverish sense of urgency — making it one of the finest Indian films ever made on the anatomy of a crime. In fact, the film amplified the book’s reach and reaffirmed Zaidi’s position as the definitive chronicler of Mumbai’s moral collapse.
Yet the book remains the richer text — because Zaidi gives you what cinema cannot: the silences, the contradictions, the texture of truth told through official lies. He interviews men who are both guilty and lost, officers who are both heroic and corrupt, and bystanders who have long stopped believing in justice. In his world, morality is muddy, and survival is the only law that truly exists.
When placed beside Dangerous Minds, Zaidi’s Black Friday feels more historical and foundational. Dangerous Minds (co-written with Brijesh Singh) is psychological — it peers into the interiority of criminals, their intellectual deformities, their perverse rationality. However, Black Friday is about scale — about systems breaking down, cities imploding, and nations failing to comprehend what is festering in their underbellies.
If Dangerous Minds is about criminal minds, Black Friday is about the criminal ecosystem — the perfect storm of anger, ideology, and exploitation. Both books complement each other beautifully, showing Zaidi’s versatility as a writer who can move between intimate psychoanalysis and grand historical narratives without losing credibility.
There’s another remarkable quality in Zaidi’s work: his refusal to sanitize. He does not write “safe” true crime for armchair thrill-seekers. His books are full of discomfort — communal fault lines, bureaucratic apathy, and human tragedy. In Black Friday, the testimonies of accused men are as vital as the voices of victims. This even-handedness is not moral neutrality — it’s journalistic integrity. He’s not telling you who to hate; he’s showing you how hate itself operates.
And that’s why Black Friday still feels painfully contemporary. Post-9/11, post-26/11, post-Pulwama — the book reads like prophecy. The machinery of hate, the ease of radicalization, the way state systems weaponize grief — it’s all there, laid bare with journalistic clarity and moral urgency.
Zaidi’s greatest triumph, however, is emotional. Beneath all the procedural precision, there’s a deep sadness that runs through Black Friday. You feel it in the way he describes the accused, often young, poor, disoriented men drawn into violence by the illusion of purpose. You feel it in the way he portrays police officers — cynical but weary, aware that their victories are temporary and their justice imperfect. And you feel it most in his portrayal of Bombay itself, the city that never sleeps but never really heals either.
That pathos ties his entire oeuvre together. In Mafia Queens of Mumbai, the tragedy is gendered — women who rule the ganglands end up paying with their humanity. In From Dubai to Karachi, the tragedy is political — a gangster so powerful that he becomes untouchable, cursed to exist as a ghost. And in Dangerous Minds, the tragedy is psychological — the revelation that intelligence, when untethered from empathy, breeds monsters. But Black Friday? It’s existential. It’s about what happens when a city’s soul is shattered and no one even remembers what it used to look like.
Zaidi’s craft is also notable for his moral courage. He doesn’t hide behind euphemism or “national security” jargon. He names names, dates, and places. He confronts corruption, bureaucratic failure, and the chilling complicity of state agencies. It’s not an easy book to read, nor an easy one to write. Every paragraph feels earned — the product of risk, persistence, and sleepless nights.
And yet, for all its grimness, there’s something oddly life-affirming about Black Friday. Maybe it’s the endurance of those who survived. Maybe it’s the stubbornness of the city itself. Or maybe it’s the reminder that truth — even when terrifying — is still worth chasing.
In the broader map of Indian non-fiction, Black Friday sits alongside works like Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark’s The Siege or Rahul Pandita’s The Lover Boy of Bahawalpur. However, unlike them, Zaidi writes from within — from the streets, not from editorial desks. He understands the pulse of the city, the smell of gunpowder in the rain, the chaos of crime meetings in seedy Irani cafés. His writing is not just informed; it’s lived.
If The Siege is about the polished, global face of terror, Black Friday is about its roots in our own backyard — where poverty, prejudice, and politics collide to create men capable of unspeakable acts.
Looking back now, over two decades later, Black Friday remains the book that shaped an entire genre. Without it, there would be no Mafia Queens, no Dongri to Dubai, no Dangerous Minds. It was Zaidi’s baptism by fire, his initiation into the world he would go on to map for the rest of his career.
But what’s fascinating is how each of his later books expands on the moral questions first posed in Black Friday. What is justice in a corrupt system? Can violence ever be righteous? What happens when crime becomes a career — not just for gangsters, but for cops, politicians, and journalists alike?
Zaidi doesn’t answer these questions outright. He lets the reader feel the contradictions, sit with the unease. And that’s what makes his writing mature and timeless — it doesn’t preach; it illuminates.
To sum it up, Black Friday is the heartbeat of Indian true crime writing — relentless, precise, unafraid. It’s the book that forced a nation to look in the mirror and see the fractures beneath its glittering skyline.
If Mafia Queens of Mumbai gives you the personal sagas, From Dubai to Karachi shows you the global networks, and Dangerous Minds explores the criminal psyche — then Black Friday is the genesis text. It’s the Big Bang that birthed Zaidi’s entire literary universe.
It is where the wounds were first documented, the ghosts first named, and the moral chaos of the Indian underworld first turned into narrative. And decades later, that pulse still beats — erratic, unhealed, and disturbingly human.
A must read.
April 11, 2021
Gripping
The gory details with which the violence that was unleashed on the city of MUMBAI, unprecedented anywhere in the world,the sheer audacity and meticulous planning with which it was done is immaculately put to paper by S Zaidi. Truly remarkable and highly recommended.
The gory details with which the violence that was unleashed on the city of MUMBAI, unprecedented anywhere in the world,the sheer audacity and meticulous planning with which it was done is immaculately put to paper by S Zaidi. Truly remarkable and highly recommended.
July 19, 2024
1993ರಲ್ಲಿ ಮುಂಬೈಯಲ್ಲಾದ ಸರಣಿ ಸ್ಫೋಟಗಳ ರೂಪುರೆಷೆ ಈ ಪುಸ್ತಕದಿಂದ ತಿಳಿದಂತಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಅದನ್ನು ಬರೆದ ಲೇಖಕರು ಈ ಕಾದಂಬರಿಯನ್ನು ಬರೆಯೋದಕ್ಕೆ ಸರಿಹೊಂದುವಂತಹವರು. ಮುಂಬೈಯ crime reporter ಆಗಿ ಕೆಲಸ ಮಾಡಿದ್ದ ಹುಸೇನ್ ಅವರಿಗೆ ಆ ಅನುಭವವನ್ನು ಆರಾಮಾಗಿ ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಭಟ್ಟಿ ಇಳಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಅದರಂತೆಯೇ ರವಿ ಬೆಳಗೆರೆಯವರು ಕನ್ನಡಕ್ಕೆ ತೂಕ ಬರುವಹಾಗೆ ಅನುವಾದ ಮಾಡಿದ್ದಾರೆ.
August 14, 2019
1993 Mumbai Bomb Blast was indeed a blackest day in the history of India.
It's a Gripping read!
It's a Gripping read!
June 30, 2021
A good behind-the-scenes look at the Mumbai attacks.
August 11, 2019
Zaidi provide the complete picture of how investigators pursued the terrorists, and how the top level customs and high profile person was involved directly and indirectly in the bombings.
Crisp and concise
Crisp and concise
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