Bambai Meri Jaan, which went on floors in early 2020 and was shot intermittently through the pandemic, has had a tumultuous journey to fruition. Starring Kay Kay Menon and Avinash Tiwary, the Amazon Prime Video offering is based on S Hussain Zaidi’s book Dongri to Dubai and will take the audience back to Mumbai’s mafia world of the ’90s. Director Shujaat Saudagar is relieved and excited in equal measure as he looks forward to its release.

“The underworld is an exciting theme, and every story has a different perspective. The key is to honour the essence of the genre while bringing newer, never-seen-before elements,” says Saudagar. Usually, projects that have a long journey to release are the hardest on directors. Saudagar kept himself busy by producing the Manoj Bajpayee-led Gulmohar, and directing The Underbug.