The film is based on the non-fiction book Dongri to Dubai by Hussain Zaidi and tells the story of Manohar Arjun Surve, better known as . Unlike many other cinematic gangsters, Manya was a bright, 78%-scoring college student who was pushed into the underworld after being wrongly imprisoned for a crime committed by his stepbrother.
Shootout at Wadala (2013) stands as a monumental entry in Indian gangster cinema, chronicling the rise of Manya Surve and the first registered encounter killing by the Mumbai police [1]. Directed by Sanjay Gupta, the film is known for its high-octane action, gritty storytelling, and a star-studded cast featuring John Abraham, Anil Kapoor, and Kangana Ranaut [1, 2].