Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai

Surprising movie, and a good surprise ! The Bollywood style takes a bit of time to get used to (I never watched a Bollywood movie before), but once you start to get used to it you really get into the story.

The story itself is good, the actors as well, Ajay Devgn and its character making me think of a Danny Trejo, but subtler. The set and mood are very refreshing, far from the usual European, American or East Asian cinema we get used to. The soundtrack, nicely mixing Indian pop and electro/rock, is right on.

Last but not least - Bollywood targeting the huge Indian market before the rest of the world - this movie gives the action and standards we are used to without loosing its spirit, making it feel like an 80's movie, in a good way, more mature than the latest American and European productions.

I enjoyed it and recommend if you come with an opened mind !

Lets get straight, if you think Once Upon A Time In Mumbai is a biopic, you're wrong. A police officer(Randeep Hooda) who once traced the changing face of the Mumbai Underworld narrates all his experiences and all his unintentional mistakes which affected everything. Almost every movie-goer has a fascination for gangster movies, and yeah it does not disappoint(almost).. It recreates the era which so many of us have left behind and those who arrived on this planet after 80s.

Once Upon A Time In Mumbai is a story that talks about the entry of mafia for the first time in Mumbai and things unfolded in course of time. It talks about the rise and subsequent fall of the King, and the emergence of the Prince as the super power. It talks about the dialogues which ruled 70s era. It talks about the chic retro look which was the trademark of that era.

The plot does resemble with lives of Haji Mastan(allegedly played by Ajay Devgn) and Dawood Ibrahim(allegedly played by Emraan Hashimi) but whatever is, the screenplay is engrossing and keeps you hooked until you feel about complaining for the length when things get slow in the second half and gradually in the end. But, the dialogues do get lots of claps and whistles in not few but many scenes. Recreating the bygone era is tough and the director, the writer and the art director deserve brownie points for giving the film that authentic feel.

As for acting, Emraan is sure to break free from his lover boy image with this film. This is his finest performance to date. Ajay Devgn has become repetitive, his dialogue delivery and expressions betray you many times, although his character is very strong and he has played it effectively. There was nothing much to do for the ladies(Prachi and Kangana), but they managed to portray their roles 'beautifully'. Randeep Hooda, too, performed well. Pritam's music( in spite of the fact the music is never really 'his') is an ace. But, it was the background score which left an lasting impression even when the movie ended.

When the screenplay is powerful and engaging, direction has to be brilliant. Milan Lutharia successfully recreated that era and his work is exemplary. There should be a special note of the dialogues, also written by Rajat Arora( screenplay) which are fantabulous.

To conclude, I would just say, go for it if you really are interested in the dialogues which no longer have there existence these days(of course allegedly) My Rating: 7/10 Thanks & Regards

This movie is excellent. The drama in the movie is pulsating and very gripping. Direction, Acting, Story and Songs all of them are very well done. The story line is very strong as it relates to Haji Mastan and Dawood Ibrahim. There are very few songs but all of them are superb.

The only bad part I would say is the romance in the middle was little dragging and Prachi does not fit the role of a gangster girl. She does her acting well but you can tell she does not feel very comfortable with some of the roles.

This is definitely one of the good Indian movies in a long, long time. Not to be missed.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI – CATCH IT ( A- ) Once Upon a time in Mumbaai is quite different take on the Mumbaai Don world… which is less brutal and hardcore then Company or Satya… An amazing movie with amazing performances by all the leading actors… Ajay Devgan yet again proved that he is par excellence… his portrayal of Sultan Mirza is effortless and complete natural… Imran Hasmi in his Bad Boy Avatar again proved he is the best Bad boy Around in Bollywood. Gangana Ranaut looks drop dead gorgeous and exquisite… Prachi Desai looks innocent and extremely pretty... Randeep Hoda proved that he has abundant of talent… Gauhar Khan's item number was Classy and looks Hot as Always. The music of the movie is really enchanting…. Overall a great movie by Milan Luthria, who didn't mess up the movie with hardcore violence & scenes…, must watch it!

"Once Upon a Time in Mumbai" is obviously a film that is trying to capitalize on the success of such classics as "Once Upon a Time in the West" as well as "Once Upon a Time in America" by Sergio Leone. Fortunately, this Indian film is good enough that it's more than just a film borrowing a title!

The story begins with a cop trying to kill himself. He survives and then tells the following story about corruption. First, he talks about an anti-hero named Sultan. Sultan is a mobster but he has a very, very strict code of ethics. In his own way, he's a decent fellow and manages to unify all the mobs of Mumbai--bringing them peace and keeping them from selling drugs and destroying the poor. In essence, Sultan is a bad man with a heart of gold.

Then the story weaves in the story of Shoaib. Shoaib is almost nothing like Sultan. Instead of being a poor orphan like Sultan, Shoaib was raised by a policeman...but Shoaib is completely amoral, angry and vicious. For a while, Shoaib goes to work for Sultan but, not surprisingly, there's a falling out and I really don't want to tell you more...just see the story.

This film has a lot going for it. It's extremely cinematic and well crafted. In particular, I really liked Ajay Devgn (Sultan) as he was a nice combination of power, decency AND corruption--not an easy role to play. Well worth seeing and exciting...though some might dislike the downbeat ending. Considering the characters were based on real mobsters (yes, you can ignore the text at the beginning that says it's all fictional), you can understand the tone of the film at the finale.