Sunday, August 8, 2010

ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI (2010)

“Beyond all myths lies Mumbai’s greatest betrayal.’

Well the line appears in the film as movie ends. Rather than calling betrayal, it seems more like stupidity. Director Milan Lutharia made one fine film in his career till day and that is ‘Taxi No 9 2 11’ but this one is all style show or romanticizing the gangster myth where the plot is near zero. The film garnered much publicity for white and white clad Ajay Devgan playing Sultan Mirza (in real Haji Mastan) on screen and for its 70’s look of Mumbai underworld. But except character’s dressing nowhere I find the framing of 70’s Mumbai; except once where we witness the Queen’s necklace from a high rise. It’s another stereotype gangster film where rather than intriguing gangsters we find romancing gangsters, rather than shocking violence we got dialogue violence and rather than intriguing insider story we got abrupt patches. It’s film where not only Ajay but everyone is throwing some catchy one-liners here and there to pull the mass audience.

I doubt whether Lutharia had done any research on Haji Mastan and the rise of Dawood or just knows as much as us with the help of google and wikipedia. He messed up with film by making it too good gangster Vs too bad gangster myth. White is maybe symbolic but where is the grey shade of characterization. Ajay is impressive but for him it’s like playing what he knows best, Randeep Hooda is surprise and comparatively good in the first half. And hell yeah, it’s Imran Hashmi who screwed the film. He’s real misfit and too irritating to watch with his typecast characteristics. It would be better if Hooda had played his part.

Watch RGV’s ‘D’ instead if you haven’t; and you’ll agree that there’s surely a method, effort and research of Verma even though he made the film too average compared to his brilliant ‘Satya’ and impressive ‘Company’.

Ratings-5/10

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