Gaitonde's opening sermon: God doesn't care
A voice opens the series with a question about God, then claims the whole story and everyone in it belongs to him.
Ganesh Gaitonde
Mumbai's most feared gangster, a self-made god of the slums, telling his life story to the one cop he chose. Played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui.
84 moments · 1h 59m
The caller who knows Dilbagh Singh
A stranger needles Sartaj about his stalled career, says he will change his destiny, and claims to be a friend of his father.
A priest who begged: the first father
The caller recalls a village childhood on the Godavari, a father who preached God in every grain of rice yet begged for alms.
Ganesh's mother and the man who was not his father
Young Ganesh watches his mother come alive only when his father is away, and pays for it in a schoolyard fight.
Running from the Godavari to a new religion
The boy flees home, fields and his father's God, and names the faith he will replace them with: Bombay.
Anda Pav run-around and two case numbers
The caller plays Sartaj around Metro Circle, trades insults, then hands over two police case numbers to prove who he is.
An empire amongst garbage dumps
Gaitonde says he never left Bombay, dismisses backup, and explains why he built his empire in the city's trash.
Emergency-era Bombay and the Hindu Hotel
Gaitonde's first job in 1977: a pure-veg hotel where caste sells better than food, and where he learns religion is a business.
Mandrax, a beating, and the name Ashwathama
Mathu teaches Gaitonde to sell pills; a thrashing he barely feels convinces him he cannot die.
A chicken bone in a Hindu hotel
Mathu dares Gaitonde to eat meat; Gaitonde turns it into a lesson on how a single bone can wreck a pure-veg business.
Twenty-five days to save the city
Gaitonde preaches that lives are God's stories, senses the call is being traced, and gives Sartaj a deadline.
Inside the bunker: three fathers
Face to face at last, Gaitonde says everyone dies in 25 days except a man named Trivedi, and lists the three fathers who made him.
Killing Salim Kaka on the boat
Gaitonde recalls his second father, the ball-breaker smuggler, and the night he decided bravery meant shooting him.
What Gaitonde sees in every man he kills
A brawl erupts around a dead body, then Gaitonde asks Sartaj whether he too sees himself in the people he kills.
The bunker falls: 'I am Ashwathama'
Police break in as Gaitonde reveals Dilbagh Singh introduced his third father; the standoff ends with his promise that he will not die.
The leopard: Gaitonde decides to ravage Bombay
Back in the bunker Sartaj hears how Gaitonde and Mathu sat on buried gold until a leopard in the jungle made him feel like God.
Gaitonde's recipe: a money man, a gang and a sharp mind
Gaitonde lays out his plan to take Bombay, recruits a treasurer who worships his safe and the Badriya brothers, then waits like a cheetah.
Gaitonde meets Kanta Bai and learns the money is in the garbage
A drunk Gaitonde gets thrown out of Kanta Bai's bar, wins her over with moonshine, and hears about Momin's garbage empire in Gopalmath.
Gaitonde buys ten plots and threatens the municipality man
A bribe-hungry clerk promises Gaitonde a place in the land auction; Gaitonde pays and spells out what happens if he is cheated.
Turned away at the door, Gaitonde sees Isa for the first time
Bouncers call him a beggar with money, and from the gutter Gaitonde watches Suleiman Isa walk in, deciding on the spot to bring him down.
Young Parulkar books Gaitonde and tells him to leave Kailashpada
Beaten by Momin's men, Gaitonde lands at the station where Inspector Parulkar sniffs the garbage on him and lectures him on being brave.
Mathu quits and goes home, leaving Gaitonde with nothing
Mathu packs his bag and finally admits he is scared; Gaitonde counts what is left after Momin, Parulkar and the municipality close ranks.
Fire and smoke: Gaitonde takes Kailashpada from Momin
The clerk dies first, then the fuel goes up, and after five days of smoke over Bombay everyone knows who the new boss of Kailashpada is.
Meet Bunty: hatred in the veins and a bail-out brawl
Gaitonde introduces Bunty as the pervert who split his gang along Hindu-Muslim lines; Bunty walks out of lockup abusing the woman who paid his bail.
Gaitonde recruits Bunty against Isa
Gaitonde warns Bunty that nothing happens in his area without permission, then takes the eager thug on as his muscle; the trash king is ready to go after Isa.
Gaitonde meets Kukoo: 'I am paradise'
Gaitonde tries to lure Isa's showgirl Kukoo into his car; she schools him on how a film works and tells him she only falls for action.
Guruji's parable of the demon brothers Atapi and Vatapi
As Ayodhya's temple politics boil, Guruji tells the tale of two demons who feed travelers and then rip them open, calling it the essence of every religion.
Gaitonde gifts Kukoo the Parveen Babi necklace
Gaitonde brings Kukoo a film-star jewel he killed for, compares her to Parveen Babi and tells her he alone understands the pain behind her eyes.
Gaitonde strikes at Isa and waits for a revenge that never comes
After a hit on Isa's men, Gaitonde braces for retaliation; Isa stays silent, playing a longer game, while Kukoo and the city turn to Gaitonde.
Gaitonde's birthday party and his first sight of Bipin Bhonsle
A Mithun impersonator dances at Gaitonde's first-ever birthday party, where a local Hindu committee man with political dreams comes asking for favours.
Gaitonde's history lesson: Shah Bano, Rajiv Gandhi and Ramayan on TV
Over a body being disposed of, Gaitonde explains how a 1980s political trick put the whole country in front of the TV and taught Bunty the power of religion.
Bunty beats his sister and Gaitonde pulls him off
Bunty explodes at his sister over a smashed cassette and her Muslim lover; Gaitonde steps in and asks whether he enjoys hitting women.
Kukoo sets the terms of her magic
In bed, Kukoo refuses to be turned over, teases Gaitonde about Isa's greeting and tells him he can have the car if he just asks.
Bhonsle asks Gaitonde to keep Muslims from voting; Gaitonde throws him out
Bipin Bhonsle brings temple offerings and cash, then asks for help winning his election; Gaitonde introduces his mixed crew and refuses the Hindu-Muslim game.
Bunty sells Gaitonde's help for 50 lakh
Bunty chases Bhonsle down and negotiates on the boss's behalf; Gaitonde is furious until the number lands and he prices democracy against Isa's car.
The Rolls-Royce and the lesson that politics is the real business
Gaitonde shows off Kukoo's magic with a new car, then narrates how his deal with Bhonsle made the gang war a Hindu-Muslim war.
Paritosh tells Gaitonde to marry a decent girl and hide Kukoo
At the launch of the airline bought with black money, Gaitonde's partner objects to Kukoo being seen in public; Gaitonde says he can buy his happiness.
Kukoo's locked door: the truth and Gaitonde's answer
Kukoo screams through the door about what she was made for and what she cannot give him; Gaitonde says he never wanted the magic, only her.
Why don't you ever kiss me: Kukoo makes Gaitonde promise not to die
At a party after the cola flop, Kukoo asks why he never kisses her, gets a kiss, then begs him to promise he will live; she fears she will get him killed.
Kukoo's Deewaar farewell: for Bachchan to live, Parveen Babi has to go
Kukoo tells Gaitonde he will outshine Amitabh Bachchan and rule Bombay, as long as her baby lives; the film comparison carries her decision.
Greetings from Suleiman Isa
Gaitonde marks the last time he saw Kukoo, and Isa's men announce themselves with an attack.
Gaitonde crowns himself the only god of Gopalmath
With Kukoo gone, Gaitonde trusts no one and tells his gang that from now on he is the sole deity Gopalmath will worship.
Gaitonde vows to kill fifty of Isa's men in a month
Amid national chaos, Gaitonde bans alcohol in the gang and starts a killing spree against Isa's foot soldiers that never reaches anyone who matters.
Saturn is to blame: Paritosh and the lucky ring
Gaitonde's mentor Paritosh explains his run of bad luck through astrology and presses on him a ring that is supposed to fix everything.
Kanta Bai tells Gaitonde he is losing Gopalmath
Kanta Bai reminds Gaitonde how the neighbourhood used to celebrate together and warns him that his war with Isa is destroying the place he built.
Gaitonde's grief after Kukoo turns ugly
Depressed after losing Kukoo, Gaitonde tries to burn out his pain in brothels but keeps seeing his mother in every woman with flowers in her hair.
Hollow after the leopard: Gaitonde decides to marry
From a hospital bed Gaitonde reflects on how strength leaves a man empty, insists this is not how he will die, and asks Paritosh to find him a bride.
Subhadra tells Gaitonde God is punishing him
The quiet girl who put the ring on his finger finally speaks, telling Gaitonde that his arrogance toward God makes everyone around him suffer too.
Coffin jokes: Gaitonde and Bunty plan the Usman Sheikh hit
A tip from Parulkar puts Isa's accountant in Gaitonde's sights, and the gang's planning session dissolves into filthy banter about coffins and ambulances.
The Usman Sheikh hit with a mother in the way
The ambush on Isa's accountant stalls when a gunman will not shoot past the target's mother, and Bunty has to finish the job himself.
Gaitonde's cruel punishment breeds a vow of revenge
Gaitonde humiliates the man who froze during the hit by ordering his sister's marriage, and the man swears privately to cut his boss into pieces.
Cold feet on the wedding day and the promise of Plutus
Gaitonde tries to call off his wedding, but Paritosh laughs it away and tells him he is about to become the god of wealth.
Isa's wedding gift and the desperate race to find Bunty
A congratulatory phone call turns into a threat as Isa promises a wedding gift already on its way, sending Gaitonde tearing through the streets after Bunty.
Call the priest: Gaitonde marries on the day Paritosh dies
With the bride's family gone and his mentor dead, Gaitonde refuses to postpone, chooses a new bride on the spot and resolves to avenge Paritosh.
Gaitonde beats a drunk Bunty and curses him
Blaming Bunty for not being there when it mattered, Gaitonde thrashes him in a drunken stupor and curses him to die like a dog.
Gaitonde confesses he is broken
Gaitonde admits losing Kukoo and Paritosh left him impotent; his wife tells him nothing will work until he takes revenge.
Gaitonde spots his man at Isa's wedding
Footage of Isa's lavish Dubai wedding shows one of Gaitonde's own men dancing there; he orders Bunty brought to the factory.
Gaitonde confronts the traitor at the factory
Gaitonde lays out the Dubai video to the man he raised from the streets; the traitor owns everything and begs for his brother's life.
The chess game and a traitor's price
Over a friendly chess game, Bunty tells Chotta his brother plotted Paritosh's murder with Isa; Gaitonde decides what a traitor's death costs.
Guruji tells Trivedi the wheel has 25 years left
Gaitonde introduces the milk-drinking bureaucrat Trivedi, who kneels before Guruji and hears that the world will turn within twenty-five years.
Gaitonde presses Subhadra to taste the kharvas
In a hotel cleared just for them, Gaitonde urges his quiet bride to eat, offering the colostrum sweet, and refuses to eat when she will not.
Bhonsle introduces Trivedi, who hails Gaitonde as Shiva reborn
Trivedi flatters Gaitonde with divine comparisons and talks of spreading 'our community'; Gaitonde finds the riddles tiresome and wants plain speech.
The duck riddle: Gaitonde refuses to leave Bombay
Asked to go overseas as a general for the coming war, Gaitonde answers with a three-duck riddle and a crude threat, then walks out with the jalebis.
Twelve jalebis and the kharvas of Subhadra's dreams
Teasing Subhadra about her sweet tooth, Gaitonde learns why she skipped the kharvas: a childhood sweet kept for God could never match the one she imagined.
Babri falls and Bombay becomes a graveyard
Gaitonde recounts the mosque demolition, the riots and Isa's bombings, then faces Gopalmath's wounded and angry who now look to him for answers.
Subhadra schools Gaitonde on why the poor love God
Gaitonde calls religion the world's biggest business; Subhadra answers that for the poor, festivals are their one day of feeling human and equal.
Fake cops storm Gopalmath and Bunty loses his legs
Men in police uniform come asking for Gaitonde and open fire; Bunty is cut down, and Gaitonde learns they were Isa's men before he goes looking for Subhadra.
Rama, Ravana and Gaitonde's vengeance for Subhadra
Through the Ramayana, Gaitonde explains how Subhadra's death woke the Hindu in him, and admits he chose innocents to kill in Isa's name.
Burn the slum: Gaitonde becomes a god by killing 80
Bunty lists Isa's dead men and Gaitonde orders the whole slum torched; he reflects that a night of innocent blood made Gopalmath worship him.
Gaitonde in custody mocks Dwivedi and Parulkar
Dragged into jail, Gaitonde laughs at his jailer's name tag and asks Parulkar whether Isa bathed and perfumed him before sending him in.
A kind man with water: Dilbagh Singh in Gaitonde's hell
Amid torture in jail, Gaitonde recalls the one guard who gave him water, and tells Sartaj it was his father, binding their fates.
Gaitonde gets used to 22 days of beatings and finds Mathu in prison
Gaitonde recalls the daily routine of beatings, then runs into his old smuggling partner, who boasts of running the jail and warns of a plan to kill him inside.
Trivedi explains how the Mahabharata begins while Gaitonde is beaten
Gaitonde learns who was really behind his torture, while the men watching joke he is unkillable and Trivedi turns a king's seed and a fish into India's birth.
Gaitonde asks Bunty for kharvas and a knife
Expecting to be killed within days, Gaitonde asks for one last taste of a sweet, then laughs it off and requests a blade to deal with some men inside.
Jamila: a broken Gaitonde meets an Afghan girl who speaks Farsi
In a brothel room Gaitonde asks a frightened girl her name and where she is from, then admits he is too wrecked to do anything at all.
Gaitonde slits Isa's men's throats and declares himself a god in prison
Revenge gives Gaitonde his strength back: he hunts Isa's men through the jail with a blade and throws the result in Parulkar's face.
Dilbagh Singh hands Gaitonde a flashlight in the isolation cell
Thrown into a pitch-black cell with a bucket and a low ceiling, Gaitonde is quietly given a torch by a guard who tells him to hide it when anyone checks.
Gaitonde begs Parulkar for water after 25 days
Starved and parched in the dark cell, Gaitonde pleads for anything to drink and admits he would have asked to be shot if he had the voice for it.
The truth about the cricket bat: Dilbagh Singh fed Gaitonde in prison
Sartaj's mother reveals his father's secret posting under Parulkar, the extra rotis he carried to a dying prisoner, and why a gangster later sent a boy a bat.
Trivedi smuggles a phone to Gaitonde: Guruji wants a word
Barely alive in the cell, Gaitonde is told to chant that he is Brahma, then hears a stranger promise him, with total certainty, that he will not die.
Yayati versus Oedipus: Guruji on fathers who sacrifice their sons
The voice on the phone contrasts the West's son who kills the father with India's father who must sacrifice the son, then offers to be whatever Gaitonde needs.
Gaitonde confesses killing his mother; Guruji explains the mandala
Told to face his first fear, Gaitonde admits his oldest sin and gives up on living, until the voice tells him he is both the mandala and the door to it.
Gaitonde and Mathu against forty of Isa's men
Called a rat and dragged out of isolation, a skeletal Gaitonde insists he will not die and walks into the yard where Isa's men are waiting.
Men in black rescue Gaitonde; the third father's 25-day game
Gaitonde's miracle arrives, he names the mastermind who saved him, and the countdown to save Mumbai snaps back to Sartaj in the present.