Ek Thi Begum trailer: A wounded woman vows to kill a dreaded gangster

Let’s face it. Underworld stories have been done to death in Hindi cinema. In recent years, the Marathi industry too has churned out a few films in this genre. But writer-director Sachin Darekar’s bilingual (Hindi and Marathi) web-series manages to stand apart with its story.

The story starts off in 1986 in Mumbai (then Bombay). Zaheer (Ankit Mohan) works for a gang headed by a dreaded gangster (a character clearly modelled on Dawood Ibrahim, now designated a global terrorist by the United Nations) who operates from West Asia. After a rift he has with fellow gang members, Zaheer decides to quit the underworld. However, the head honcho gets him killed in a staged police encounter.

Zaheer’s wife Sapna (Anuja Sathe) is shattered, more so because her unborn child also gets killed. But she gathers herself and vows to avenge the death of her husband by finishing off all those who were responsible for his death, including the head of the gang.

Though there have been several underworld films, it is difficult to recall one that tells the story of the wife of a gangster seeking revenge from his bosses for his death. A woman pitted against an entire gang and corrupt cops also makes for an interesting idea.

Anuja Sathe looks a good choice as she displays confidence. None of the other actors, including Chinmay Mandlekar and Santosh Juvekar, are given much footage in the trailer. Maybe there is a surprise element attached to their characters.

Ek Thi Begum will be streamed on MX Player from 8 April. Watch the trailer below.