Haji Mastan smoked. |
Haji Mastan's alcohol consumption is unknown. |
He was born in the village of Pannaikulam near Ramanathapuram in Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu. |
He grew up in poverty. |
In 1934, at age 8, he moved to Bombay (now Mumbai) with his father. |
To supplement his income, he worked at a small cycling repair shop. |
He admired the wealth of the rich and famous while working at the shop. |
Despite working for 8 years, he couldn't achieve his dream. |
He started making money by smuggling gold with Galib Sheikh. |
Later, he collaborated with Sukkur Narayan Bakhia on smuggling goods. |
He fulfilled his dream of owning a bungalow in Mumbai. |
Eventually, he became a film financier and producer. |
He also had interests in electronics and real estate businesses. |
Haji Mastan is known as Mumbai's first 'Don.' |
He mediated between gang leaders to maintain peace in Mumbai. |
Mastan didn't run his gang but was respected in the underworld. |
He had strong ties with Bollywood personalities. |
He was jailed only during the Indian Emergency. |
After going to Hajj, he was known as Haji Mastan. |
He helped the poor and disadvantaged. |
He became a Muslim leader and founded an organization for minorities. |
He admired Madhubala and married a lookalike actress, Sona. |
His life partly inspired the movie Deewar. |
He adopted Sundar Shaekhar, who didn't convert to Islam. |
He favored Mercedes-Benz cars. |
Haji Mastan never used violence or got into fights. |