Fella_shibby Review of Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai

Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai (2010)

One of the best n my fave gangster flick from Bollywood.

[10/10 · 7 September 2017]

I saw this with my family in a theater, first day last show. Revisted it recently on a DVD which i own. The sheer amount of effort that went into making this film is breathtaking. The locations, the time frame, the costumes, the set pieces, and the acting. Everything was top notch. It is a biography of Haji Mastan, a famous contraband smuggler, gangster, films financier n real estate businessman played very well by Devgan. Mastan was not a dreaded don because never in his life he had killed anyone or shot a bullet at anyone. In fact, in certain places in South Mumbai, he was referred as the Robin Hood. Devgan, for his part turns in a fine performance as Mastan aka Sultan. He gives an amazing performance, from tough to tender, he hits it all. You're actually rooting for this guy, because of where he came from, what hes trying to achieve, the ingenuity and strength that it takes to accomplish it, even though its all completely illegal. Along with Mastans story, there is another in the film, that of notorious criminal n bomb blast mastermind, Dawood, played extremely well by Hashmi. He's an opportunist, power hungry n a criminal mind and in the end he's a pathetic and isolated figure. It's clear from Hashmi's performance and the film's overall attitude that this is not a figure to admire or about whom one should hold illusions. The songs were good, the one liners were witty n macho. The  film also has one of my favorite actor, Randeep Hooda.