How to cook up a flawless gangster project? A well-balanced blend of sex, drugs, guns, violence, street-smartness, hard-hitting dialogues, self-destruction, and many more are needed to craft a perfect gangster movie or show. Prominent helmers like Martin Scorsese, Brian De Palma, and Francis Ford Coppola not only introduced the gangster genre to the people back then, but they also paved the way for future gangster-philic filmmakers. Nowadays, plenty of gangster shows are available on Indian OTT platforms. One of them is Rangbaaz starring Saqib Saleem, Aahana Kumra, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Ravi Kishan, Jimmy Shergill, and many more.
Here are the five gangster shows that you must binge-watch before enjoying Rangbaaz Season 3 on ZEE5.
Mirzapur (Amazon Prime Video)
Some call Mirzapur a quality watch with desi tadka and the remaining ones think of it as nothing except an overrated product. But none of them can deny its pan-India prominence and entertainment level. Thanks to Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal, Divyenndu, Rasika Dugal, and Shweta Tripathi Sharma for bestowing exceptional performances in this gripping tale of ambition, power, and greed.
Narcos: Mexico (Netflix)
This companion series surpasses its original entry, Narcos (2015-17), in every major department. Originally intended to be Season 4 of the original series, Narcos: Mexico explores the grim history of the Mexican illegal drug trade. On the other hand, the parent show focused on Pablo Escobar’s Colombian drug empire. Watch Diego Luna stealing all the limelight as Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo, the leader and founder of the modern Mexican drug trade in this one.
Sacred Games (Netflix)
Sacred Games commenced the era of OTT in India. It helped Netflix gain all the attraction and love from Indian audiences in the second half of 2018. Viewers highly praised the tense and gripping “cat and mouse” game between Sartaj Singh (Saif Ali Khan) and Ganesh Gaitonde (Nawazuddin Siddiqui). Yes, Season 2 lost some of the charm of the first season. Yet, it did not disappoint the fans in terms of performances and jaw-dropping moments.
Open the gates of The Garrison pub and welcome the one and only, Peaky Blinders! This Steven Knight chef-d’oeuvre has constructed an enormous fanbase in India. Who doesn’t love Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) and the rest of his gang in their traditional long coats and baggy caps with razor blades? And what about their mesmerising power-walking slow-motion shots? Heaven! The series ended with Season 6 this year. A spinoff project is currently in the works.
The Sopranos (HBO/Disney+ Hotstar)
Many gangster shows have come and gone. But none of them ever matched the success nay the marvellousness of HBO’s The Sopranos. Led by the late James Gandolfini, the cast treasures splendid performers like Lorraine Bracco, Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli, Jamie Lynn-Sigler, Dominic Chianese, Steven Van Zandt, and many more. The on-screen Paulie “Walnuts” Gualtieri, Tony Sirico, also left the world on July 8, just three weeks before his 80th birthday.
Apart from revolutionising the gangster genre, The Sopranos did a bang-up job in its writing, acting, directing, and other departments. Watch Tony Soprano leading his Italian-American mobster organisation and dealing with his daily life dilemmas, including panic attacks and anxiety, with the help of psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi in the show.
We’re hiring!
We are hiring two full-time junior to mid-level writers with the option to work remotely. You need to work a 5-hour shift and be available to write. Interested candidates should email their sample articles to [email protected]. Applications without a sample article will not be considered.
