Film: Once Upon a time in Mumbai
Director: Milan Luthria
Cast: Ajay Devgn, Kangna Ranaut, Emraan Hashmi, Prachi Desai, Randeep Hooda
Rating: ***1/2
Balaji’s Once Upon A Time In Mumbai, set in the 1960s and ’70s, is about the rise of the underworld in Mumbai. Sultan Mirza (Ajay Devgn) is the undisputed don of Bombay then and he is a messiah for the poor. He falls in love with film actress Rehana (Kangna Ranaut) who reciprocates his feelings. Sultan takes Shoaib Khan (Emraan Hashmi) under his wings as he sees a lot of promise in him.
But cracks develop in the relationship between the don and his protégéwho wants to become too big too fast. It all starts when Sultan goes to Delhi to meet the home minister for a ticket to contest elections, leaving the underbelly of Bombay city under the care of Shoaib for some days. The characters of Sultan and Shoaib are said to be inspired by the characters of late Haji Mastan and Dawood Ibrahim respectively.
Rajat Arora has penned a brilliant script which holds the audience’s attention from the word ‘go’. Unlike many underworld films seen in recent times, this one is not too violent or morose as it also tackles the love lives of the two dons. Both the love stories are heartwarming, and the awkwardness of the two guys with their respective girls makes way for plenty of funny moments. Note, for instance, how Sultan buys a guava for Rs400 to gift his lady love, as he can’t think of a more expensive gift. Or, how the cutely dumb Shoaib gifts his Mumtaz (Prachi Desai) a liquor bottle and then wonders why she is not dancing on seeing the whisky bottle, like his tapori friends do.
Sultan’s softer side has been beautifully presented just as Shoaib’s rough-and-tough side has. Both dons are shown leading such glamourous lives that ‘donship’ just might become a career option for our youngsters after this film.
Ajay Devgn is terrific and delivers an award-winning performance. Emraan Hashmi is adorable and endearing. Kangna Ranaut looks scintillating and acts wonderfully. Prachi Desai is also superb. Randeep Hooda is a revelation. He shines.
Milan Luthria’s direction deserves distinction marks. Right from creating the period atmosphere to extracting fine performances from his cast to narrating the drama so interestingly, he scores in every department. Pritam’s music is already hit. The Pee loon song is a rage and the other numbers are also fabulous. Aseem Mishra’s camerawork, Sandeep Shirodkar’s background score, Rajat Arora’s clapworthy and weighty dialogues add to the effect of the drama.
All said, OUATIM is not a very expensive film and will rule the box-office for a while. It is one underworld film that will not leave you feeling depressed or with a heavy head. Rather, you leave the cinema with a smile.
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