Review: Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai

Originally for YAHOO.COM

Cast: Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi, Kangna Ranaut, Randeep Hooda, Naved Aslam

Director: Milan Luthria

Producer: Ekta Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor

Rating: ***

‘Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai’ rides on hype and controversy. It is debatable though whether the film deserves any of that. Hype, probably it does because of the great cast and the fact that it is said to be inspired by the life of Haji Mastan – the smuggler who inspired Dawood Ibrahim. Controversy, it does not! There is a proper disclaimer before the movie starts that it is in no way a biopic on any person living or dead. And even in the inspirations, the film in no way maligns Haji Mastan’s reputation. Rather it almost works like an image builder, creating a huge halo of goodness around him.

Looking into the film if it justifies the hype, a straight answer would be ‘no’! The reason is that it’s a bottle of old wine in not so new a bottle. The story is not extraordinary and the screenplay does not make it any better. It is a rather simple story about smuggler called Sultan (Ajay Devgn) and young guy called Sohaib (Emraan Hashmi) who wants to be as big as Sultan. The difference – While Sultan rules the sea and believes in not harming anyone in the city, Sohaib’s ambitions have no boundaries and he does not bother killing innocent people to spread terror. The story takes the audience through the journey of both the characters, clearly defining the stark difference between both the characters. While one is loyal and would not go against his conscience, the other is reckless and does not mind cheating on his love or craze for money over anything else. Sultan is already the smuggler when Sohaib is just a child who dreams of making it big. And as he grows up Sohaib makes his way to Sultan’s gang and starts working for him.

The writer needs to be credited for painting characters well giving them distinct identities and making them memorable. But in an attempt to keep the film easy to comprehend the writer overlooks errors in the screenplay. While the first half drags the second half ends without quite fulfilling expectations. The rise of Sohaib is not given as much importance. Also there is one primary issue with the age of the character. Sohaib is shown as a child when Sultan is already the king. But neither Sultan nor his lady love Rehana (Kangna Ranaut) show any sign of aging when Sohaib grows up to be a hunk. Makes one wonder if Sultan smuggled in any age defying potions along with his regular banned items! Apart from that the way the story of Sultan starts – in a flashback narration – is quite tame. Why would a police officer go about giving a life history of a criminal like Sultan to a colleague almost as if the colleague had no idea who Sultan was in first place!

On the good side, the director Milan Luthria has taken great care to assure the film looks set in late 60s and 70s. Everything is authentic – right from the trousers worn to the car used to the buildings shown. The film successfully takes us back to the bygone era. Also writer does a good job with the dialogues and the actors do a good job delivering them. ‘Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai’ has great performances from every actor, making it an engaging watch. Ajay Devgn is superlative and has overbearing that the character demands. And Emraan Hashmi does not let down either. The girls have much lesser to do in the story line, except help in establishing the characters of their respective male leads. Both Kangna and Prachi justify their presence.

‘Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai’ ends with the line ‘Behind the myth is the city’s greatest betrayal’, and the story delivers on that. It also refreshingly shows the city growing. This film is an entertainer worth a watch for the settings and performances.