| Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Milan Luthria |
| Produced by | Ekta Kapoor Shobha Kapoor |
| Written by | Rajat Aroraa |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Pritam Chakraborty |
| Cinematography | Aseem Mishra |
| Editing by | Akiv Ali |
| Distributed by | Balaji Motion Pictures |
| Release date(s) | 30 July 2010 |
| Running time | 135 minutes[1] |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
| Budget | 32 crore (US$6.08 million)[2] |
| Box office | 58 crore (US$11.02 million)[3] |
Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai is a 2010 Bollywood crime drama film directed by Milan Luthria and produced by Ekta Kapoor. It stars Ajay Devgan,[4] Emraan Hashmi,[5] Prachi Desai,[6] and Kangana Ranaut.[6][7] The film, produced by Balaji Telefilms, was released on 30 July 2010.
Contents |
The film opens with a suicide attempt by ACP Agnel Wilson (Randeep Hooda) on the pretext of the Mumbai Blasts in 1993. When questioned, he breaks down claiming the recent events as his fault, citing that 18 years ago when he was posted as the ACP in the Mumbai crime branch, his inability to take the required action led to the rise of Shoaib Khan (Emraan Hashmi), who played a key role in these blasts. He then goes on to narrate the time in Mumbai during the 1970s, when it was ruled by smuggler Sultan Mirza (Ajay Devgan), his downfall and the consequent rise of Shoaib to power.
After being hit by a flood in his hometown in Madras, Mirza arrives in Mumbai, where he starts working as a coal shoveler who smuggles gold items. Despite having a meager earning, he never fails to help the poor and needy and earns their support and respect. Gradually, he becomes the kingpin of smuggling world in Mumbai. He successfully divides the area among four gangsters peacefully, thus pinning the police in the deck and becoming the leader of Mumbai's underworld activities. Despite being a criminal, Mirza is shown to be a godfather like figure to the people and a man of principles. He is against smuggling contraband as it is against his Muslim faith.
Mirza has a crush on Bollywood actress Rehana (Kangna Ranaut) and eventually the two begin to date each other, and Sultan invests black money in her upcoming films. ACP Wilson moves to stop Rihana's films funded by Sultan. But he is tricked by Sultan and Rihana and gets framed for accepting bribe, damaging his credibility.
Meanwhile Shoaib is a very ambitious person with a very dark and daring character right from his childhood. His father, a sub-inspector in Mumbai Police, tries very hard to control him unsuccessfully. He grows up to become a notorious gangster, being frequently involved in petty robberies. Worried, Shoaib's father turns to Sultan for help to which he agrees and helps him set up an electronics shop. But Shoaib is unsatisfied, as his only ambition now is to become rich and powerful like Mirza. Shoaib's girlfriend Mumtaz (Prachi Desai) works in a local jewellery shop, which Shoaib visits often and gives her stolen jewelry. One day when a customer recognizes her necklace on Mumtaz, she decides to confront him. This enrages Shoaib who beats up the owner of the necklace and destroys his shop. He goes to Sultan to be a part of his crime ring. Seeing his potential, Sultan agrees to take him under his wing. Shoaib learns the tricks of the trade and soon becomes Sultan's trusted aide. ACP Wilson considers Shoaib's ideas and dark ambitions for quick money and power in a potential conflict to Sultan's ideals and hence foresees Shoaib causing the eventual downfall of Sultan. He even refrains from killing Sultan and Shoaib at one point. Finally when Shoaib becomes invincible, he blames himself for the catastrophe.
Meanwhile, Sultan decides to enter politics and goes to Delhi to meet the Home Minister of India, handing over his power to Shoaib. The money, unlimited power and Shoiab's unscrupulous ambitions lead him to carry out trades and acts which Sultan himself strongly condemns. He starts manufacturing illicit liquor, accepts contract killings, starts investing in drug peddling and runs extortion rackets. Finally when Sultan returns to Mumbai and finds out about Shoaib's misdeeds, he goes to meet Shoaib and slaps him for his unethical activities. This infuriates Shoaib and he plots revenge. One day while campaigning for his new party, as Sultan addresses the people on the dais, Shoaib shoots Sultan fatally, thus ending the saga of a smuggler who was loved by his people.
Agnel, who was narrating the story, admits later that Shoaib has established an empire and operates from other countries as the kingpin of Mumbai. No government or force can reach or harm him.
The film depicts the growth of the Mumbai underworld, from crime and smuggling in its early stages to its connection with international terrorism in recent times. It is believed to be loosely based on the lives of the real gangsters Haji Mastan and Dawood Ibrahim, as the characters Sultan and Shoaib respectively.[8][9] Originally Sanjay Dutt was chosen to play the role of Haji Mastan[10] but the role went to Ajay Devgan instead.
The film is rated 6.0/10 on the Hindi film review aggregator website ReviewGang, indicating generally favorable reviews.[11] Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN rated the film 2.5 out of 5 saying, "The film is watchable and enjoyable in parts even, but it doesn't quite pull off the retro chic tone it was going for".[12] Ians rated the movie 3.5 out of 5 saying, "Rajat Arora’s dialogues flow from the storytelling in a smooth flow of poetry and street wisdom."[13] Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave it 4/5 and called it "An outstanding Cinematic experience".[14] Nikhat Kazmi of the Times Of India gave it 4/5 and stated, "Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai offers you both substance and soul, even as it dabbles with a slice of reality".[15] Rediff gave it 4/5 and said, "Book your tickets now".[16]
Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai managed to have a decent weekend despite starting slowly. The film picked up from Friday evening and managed to have good Saturday and Sunday collections. The approx breakdowns are 5.50 crore (Friday), 7 crore (Saturday) and 7.75 crore (Sunday) for a 20.25 crore weekend.[17] The film grossed Rs. 58 crore at the end of its ninth week, and was declared a hit by box office India.[18]
Won[19]
Won[20]
Nominated[21]
Won[22]
Nominated[23]
| Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Pritam | ||||
| Released | 28 June 2010 | |||
| Genre | Soundtrack | |||
| Label | T-Series | |||
| Pritam chronology | ||||
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The film's soundtrack was released on 28 June 2010. The music is composed by Pritam and lyrics are penned by Irshad Kamil, Nilesh Mishra and Amitabh Bhattacharya. The song "Pee Loon" was selected the worst song of the year at the Golden Kela Awards.[24]
| No. | Track | Singers | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | "Tum Jo Aaye Zindagi Mein" | Rahat Fateh Ali Khan & Tulsi Kumar | 4:48 |
| 02 | "Pee Loon" | Mohit Chauhan | 4:47 |
| 03 | "I Am In Love" | KK & Dominique Cerejo | 4:47 |
| 04 | "Parda" | Sunidhi Chauhan & Rana Mazumder | 5:23 |
| 05 | "Baburao Mast Hai" | Mika Singh | 4:49 |
| 06 | "Tum Jo Aaye Zindagi Mein" (Reprise) | Rahat Fateh Ali Khan | 4:45 |
| 07 | "I Am In Love" | Karthik | 5:01 |
| 08 | "Pee Loon" (Remix) | Mohit Chauhan | 4:50 |
| 09 | "I Am In Love" (Dance Mix) | KK & Dominique Cerejo | 4:42 |
Due to the film's commercial and critical success, a sequel has been put into production. Akshay Kumar, Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor[25] have been roped in for the sequel of the film titled Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai 2.[26] Ileana D'Cruz will play the role of Mandakini.[27] The film is expected to start shooting in January 2012.[25]
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