The Real Story of Sapna Didi: How One Woman’s Revenge Shook Dawood Ibrahim’s Underworld Empire And Inspired Bollywood

Bombay (now Mumbai) has always been a city of loud ambitions and quiet betrayals. In the shadows of its glittering skyline and crowded lanes, stories are born that rarely make it to polite conversation. Among them is the chilling, often whispered tale of Sapna Didi, a woman whose life faded the line between grief and rebellion. Hers is not a legend crafted for cinema but a life shaped by loss, fury and an unshakeable resolve to stare down one of India’s most feared men, Dawood Ibrahim. Sapna Didi’s story does not begin with guns or vendettas. It begins in a conservative Mumbai household, with a woman named Ashraf Khan who wanted little more than a stable life. What followed transformed her into an anomaly in the male-dominated underworld of the 1990s.

Today, her name survives through investigative accounts, fragmented memories and a renewed curiosity sparked by Bollywood. Yet the truth is far more unsettling than any on-screen adaptation.

Who Was Sapna Didi Before the Underworld Knew Her Name?

Sapna Didi, born Ashraf Khan, grew up within the strict social boundaries set for women. Her marriage to Mehmood Khan looked ordinary from the outside. It was only later that Ashraf discovered her husband’s association with D Company, the crime syndicate controlled by Dawood Ibrahim. Like many families connected to organised crime, silence was survival. Ashraf was not involved in her husband’s work and, by most accounts, remained unaware of the dangers that came with it. That fragile normality shattered at Mumbai airport when Mehmood Khan was gunned down in broad daylight. According to underworld intelligence that surfaced later, the killing was ordered by Dawood himself after Mehmood allegedly refused to carry out an instruction. That single act changed Ashraf Khan forever.

What Turned Ashraf Khan into Sapna Didi?

Grief did not break her. It sharpened her. Ashraf’s transformation into Sapna Didi was neither impulsive nor dramatic. It was methodical. She shed the identity of a sheltered homemaker and adopted a new name, one that soon began circulating in police files and criminal networks. Sapna learned to handle firearms, ride a motorcycle, and navigate the brutal hierarchies of the underworld.

That's not all; Sapna Didi also abandoned traditional attire for jeans and jackets, not as rebellion but as camouflage. In a world ruled by fear, she learned its language fluently. What made her stand apart was motive. Sapna Didi was not chasing power or money. Her singular goal was revenge.

How Did Sapna Didi Enter the Male Fortress of Mumbai’s Underworld?

Her entry into the criminal ecosystem came through her alliance with Hussain Ustara, a known rival of Dawood Ibrahim. Ustara, already locked in a long-standing feud with D Company, saw her as a rare asset. She was invisible in plain sight and driven by something far more dangerous than ambition. Under his guidance, Sapna began working against Dawood’s interests. She allegedly helped intercept arms consignments, sabotaged gambling dens and supplied crucial information to law enforcement agencies. Journalist S. Hussain Zaidi, who documented her life in Mafia Queens of Mumbai, described her as a woman who knew the underworld “like the back of her hand” and created unprecedented panic among Dawood’s operatives. Trivia: Sapna Didi never ran her own gang. Her power lay in disruption, not domination.

Did Sapna Didi Really Plan to Kill Dawood Ibrahim in Sharjah?

Among the many plots attributed to her, one stands out for its audacity. Sapna allegedly planned to assassinate Dawood Ibrahim during an India-Pakistan cricket match in Sharjah, where the don was known to watch games from the VIP enclosure. The plan was as chaotic as it was bold. Her men were to infiltrate the stands armed with everyday objects like umbrellas and broken bottles. The idea was to create confusion, overwhelm Dawood’s security, and strike in full public view.

It was never executed. The plan was leaked before it could unfold, reinforcing a brutal truth about the underworld. Secrets rarely stay buried.

How Did Sapna Didi’s Story End?

In 1994, Dawood’s men traced Sapna Didi to her Mumbai residence. What followed was a brutal execution. She was stabbed 22 times. Neighbours, paralysed by fear, did not intervene. Sapna died before she could reach the hospital. There were no dramatic last words. No witnesses willing to speak. Just silence. Her death effectively erased her physical presence. To this day, no authenticated photographs of Sapna Didi are known to exist.

Why Is Sapna Didi Still Relevant Today?

Despite her erasure, Sapna Didi’s story refuses to disappear. It resurfaced in public consciousness through Mafia Queens of Mumbai, where Zaidi referred to her as both a femme fatale and an avenging angel. More recently, Bollywood has drawn inspiration from her life.

The upcoming film O' Romeo is reportedly inspired by real events involving Hussain Ustara and Sapna Didi. Directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, the film stars Shahid Kapoor and Triptii Dimri. Kapoor is believed to portray a character inspired by Ustara, while Dimri’s role reportedly draws from Sapna Didi’s life. The film marks another collaboration between Bhardwaj and Kapoor after acclaimed projects like Kaminey and Haider. Its teaser has already reignited interest in a woman whose rebellion once shook the underworld.

What Makes Sapna Didi Different from Other Underworld Figures?

Sapna Didi never sought notoriety. She did not give interviews, issue threats or build an empire. Her legacy lies in defiance. At a time when Dawood Ibrahim’s influence extended across borders and terrorised entire neighbourhoods, one woman chose to fight back, knowing fully well it would likely cost her life. Her story is not about victory. It is about resistance. In a city where fear often wins, Sapna Didi remains a reminder that even the most powerful empires can be challenged. Quietly. Relentlessly. And at a terrible personal cost.