""Ayeessa Kya?" (Is it so?)- The Unmaking of Latif"...

Most, who have lived in Gujarat during the eighties and nineties of the last century, would have heard of Abdul Latif. A gambler, bootlegger, kidnapper, extortionist, hired assassin and mobster par excellence, his name alone was enough to send shivers down the spine of businessmen, rival gang members and politicians. His notoriety spread beyond the borders of Gujarat, particularly to Rajasthan, Daman, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Delhi, Karachi and Dubai. He seemed beyond the reach of the law. ‘‘‘Latif: The King of Crime’’’, a movie based on his life was released in August 2014. Another biopic on him, named ‘‘‘Raees’’’, with Shah Rukh Khan--no less--playing Abdul Latif, and Nawazuddinin Sheikh as a cop in the cast and is likely to hit theatres shortly. The interest Bollywood is showing, more than eighteen years after Latif’s nemesis in a police encounter, would perhaps give an idea of his stature in the folklore of crime to modern day readers, who haven’t heard of him yet.

Abdul Latif was born on 24.10.1951 at Ahmedabad to impoverished parents living in Kalupur, a Muslim ghetto. His father Abdul Wahab Sheikh was a petty tobacco seller bringing up seven children in a cramped hutment. Latif struggled to finish school and soon thereafter began to help his father at his tobacco shop. He received Rs. 2 everyday from his father as his remuneration. He often fought with his father for more money. At 20, Latif got married and his financial requirements increased. His squabbles with his father over money got more frequent and he decided to branch off on his own. Unable to find any respectable vocation, he took to crime in his early twenties. He started work with Allah Rakha, a bootlegger, who also ran a gambling den. He soon became an expert gambler himself and a card-sharpener.

Manzoor Ali, who ran a rival gambling den, was quick to recognize Latif’s talent and asked him to join his gang. Latif became the supervisor of Manzoor’s den on a monthly salary.

To be continued...