Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai [DVD] [2010] [NTSC]

Where to begin:

1. Terrible story, full of plot holes.

2. Dreadful acting (once again we see the same old nephews and nieces)

3. Poor cinematography - this makes Emmerdale look amazing.

4. Bad pacing, and weak over the top action scenes.

All that is just the tip of the iceberg. Which leaves you to ask when Bollywood is going to start making films with a quality to rival that in China, could it be something to do with point number 2 above? The film looks awful, if you watch it and then watch 'Hero' with Jet Li (made ten years ago I might add) - you are left with the impression that OUATIM was made by a class of five year olds.

The only thing worth this experience is the music, which is above average.

On the surface, 'Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai' is a mob fable, but at its essence, it's a story about a boy figuring out how to be a man--a man who happened to become one of the most wanted criminals in the world.

A court-ordered disclaimer at the beginning of the film says the story is not based on the life of the late Haji Mastan, a 1970s Mumbai smuggler. Mastan's family tried and failed to stop the release of the film, but the obvious allusions to Mastan aren't exactly unfavorable. The character, Sultan Mirza (played by Ajay Devgan), is an admirably bootstrapping, rags-to-riches Robin Hood who helps people the government ignores--to consolidate his power, of course, but he also has altruistic motives.

As always, Devgan oozes cool and his delivery is brilliantly understated. His every subtle gesture--the nod of his head, the crook of his finger, and of course, his famous smoldering stare--is power-packed. He's played this role before--that of a criminal leader with a rebellious underling--in 'Company' (2002). But here, he's less intense, more self-conscious--effectively so.

But the story isn't really about Sultan, it's about his protege gone wrong--Shoaib Khan (played by Emraan Hashmi), a two-bit thief who rises in the ranks of Sultan's organization and decides to usurp him. And there's no disclaimer about the inspiration for this character--Dawood Ibrahim, the notorious leader of the Mumbai underworld who once worked for Mastan and later orchestrated the 1993 terrorist attacks on the city.

The film deals with Shoaib's early days as an arrogant, insolent young man with an explosive temper and no sense of morality. His father is an honest (and therefore, poor) police officer and a weak, ineffectual man who tries to slap his son into submission to no avail. Hashmi, an Indian Colin Farrell who's stepping into the big leagues, nails the role of boyish bully with his baby-face good looks and smirking machismo.

Much of the movie focuses on male potency--namely, Sultan's--or the lack thereof--in Shoaib's father and by extension, the government. Shoaib's hero-worship of the former and contempt for the latter shape his developing sense of manhood. This theme is partly illustrated in Sultan's relationship with Bollywood starlet Rihana (Kangana Ranaut), whom he effortlessly woos and happily loves, contrasted with Shoaib's inept attempts to win over a simple girl, Mumtaz (Prachi Desai). He manages to seduce her eventually--revealingly, by dressing her like an actress in a hit film, and then undressing her. Shoaib's real fantasy is to be Sultan, and he's only romantically successful by aping his role model.

But Shoaib and Mumtaz are never the perfect couple that Sultan and Rihana are, which frustrates Shoaib and makes Mumtaz miserable. Shoaib's floundering is much more interesting than Sultan's smooth sailing, and too much of the first half of the film is devoted to Sultan's boringly conflict-free courtship of Rihana.

The plot is aptly simple and peppered with smart, snappy, and often humorous dialogue. The film captures every detail of the time period--the clothes, the cars, the hairstyles--even the musical score and camera work harken from that era, and it's authentic, not campy. A little trimming of Ranaut's pointless screen time would have gone a long way.

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There have been many gangster movies from Bollywood as there have been so many versions of this theme. In my memory one of the best movie in this genre was Company and was made by RamGopal Verma. There have also been a lot of movies that have been made about Haji Mastan and Dawood Ibrahim, so one tends to have a déjà vu while watching some of the latest stuff. I got that feeling too while watching `Once upon'. Supposedly based on Dawood Ibrahim and Haji Mastan and chronicling their parallel and eventual intersecting life, `Once upon' offers nothing new in terms of material because most of us are familiar with these stories fictional or otherwise. However the glue that holds the film together is the performances, dialogue, and the music to a certain extent.
Ajay Devgan is Sultan Mirza a gangster with a kind heart. While he rules the city, he refuses to involve himself in anything that will destroy its people. One day he is asked by a policeman to take his wayward son under his wings and teach him responsibility and work. This youth is Shoaib ( Emraan Hashmi ), this will turn out to be the biggest mistake of Sultan's life.
The films narration is in flashback and is told from the viewpoint of ACP Agnel Wilson played by Randeep Hooda and has enough promise to hold our interest in the first half of the film. I loved his meetings and pursuit of Kangana Ranaut who plays a actress ( Rehana)
The film belongs to Ajay Devgan, who essays the role of Sultan Mirza with aplomb. He acts and breathes life in this act. Emraan Hashmi, while not matching Devgan's acting comes close. Although the film has a disclaimer that it is not based on the lives of Mastan. The incidents are indeed taken from the pages of both Dawood and Mastan's lives with which most of us are anecdotally familiar with. The leading ladies also act well. I liked Kangana and her act as an actress. Prachi Desai as Mumtaz made an impact as the lady who is love with a brute.
The film succeed to a certain length in recreating Mumbai of the 70's and the 80's but then most of the scenes are shot in South Bombay where architecturally nothing has changed much. The dialogue writing is superb and witty. Congratulations to Rajat Arora for such sharp writing.
The music was good and I will certainly buy the CD for the music. The weakness was in the end which is abrupt and did not give resolution to the fates of the many characters. Ultimately Milan Luthria delivers for creating a mountain out of a molehill, an ordinary story told almost extraordinarily. I recommend it 4 stars 7/30/10