Once Upon A Time in Mumbai
Cast Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi, Kangana Ranaut, Prachi Desai
Director Milan Luthria
Rating TBA
Bollywood's undying fascination with the underworld is clearly evident. Year after year, Bollywood churns out gangster flicks. Its narrations are realistic as a lot of Mumbai-based film-makers have good access to gangsters and their flashy lifestyles. With Once Upon A Time In Mumbai, Milan Luthria is set to capture the 1970s to 1980s era when Mumbai (earlier called Bombay) saw a struggle over dominance by the gangsters.
Sultan (Devgn) is the undisputed king of underworld. He runs the smuggling mafia and his only other interest is Bollywood diva Rehana (Ranuat), a bold bohemian actress. Sultan's ambitious protégé Shoaib (Hashmi) with the help of his lady love Mumtaz (Desai) challenges Sultan's supremacy. The power struggle between Sultan and Shoaib is seen through the eyes of police officer Agnel (Randeep Hooda).
A lot of films on Mumbai mafia draw inspiration from real life and Once Upon... is no different. Sultan and Shoaib's characters are based on gangsters Haji Mastan and Dawood Ibrahim, respectively. The plot is rumoured to be based on the rivalry between the two. It's interesting to note that Devgn, who earlier played a character based on Ibrahim in Ram Gopal Varma's Company, now plays Ibrahim's antagonist. "I'm playing a gangster in the 1970s and so part of my research involved consulting Amitabh Bachchan. So you will see similarities with real-life gangsters but at the end of the day the characters are fictional," says Devgn.
The real-life inspiration does not end with the male lead characters but also extends to the female brigade. Ranaut's character is supposedly based on a small-time actress Sona, who was romantically involved with Mastan. "My character Rehana can be considered a cross between Madhubala and Sona," says Ranaut. "The retro costumes were designed by Manoshi Nath and Rushi Sharma."
Devgn and Hashmi are pitted against each other for the first time. Earlier, Devgn was pitted against Vivek Oberoi in Company, where both held their ground, but Devgn's nuanced performance clearly won more applause. Unlike, Oberoi who was a newcomer then, Hashmi is an experienced actor and this could prove a tough battle for Devgn.
The film's prospects are further enhanced by Pritam's lilting score. The item number Parda shot on Gauhar Khan is similar to the track Monica O Darling from Apna Desh. The film promises to be an entertaining retro ride.
