When Milan Luthria’s Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai released in 2010, Bollywood was saturated with gangster films that glorified violence with stylized, jittery editing. However, this film took a different route. It was a throwback to the 1970s—a time when power was exercised not just with the pull of a trigger, but with the delivery of a soul-shaking monologue.
This was the film that broke Emraan Hashmi out of his "serial kisser" cage. Luthria took a massive risk casting him. At the time, critics saw Hashmi as a B-grade romantic hero. But Hashmi has admitted in interviews that he channeled a deep, personal rage into the role. He was tired of being underestimated. That raw hunger you see in Shoaib’s eyes? That’s not acting—that’s an actor fighting for legitimacy. once upon a time in mumbai actors
No article on this film is complete without Randeep Hooda, who played the honest cop, Agnel Wilson. In a film of grey characters, Hooda brought a tragic black-and-white hero. His screen time is just 12 minutes, but his final confrontation with Devgn— "Main tumse chhoti gundi nahi, bade aadmi ki tarah baat kar raha hoon" (I’m not a small crook talking to you, I’m a big man)—is the film’s moral compass. Hooda spent a week living in a real Mumbai police chowky to learn the casual swagger of a 70s officer. When Milan Luthria’s Once Upon a Time in
The 2010 crime drama is widely regarded as a modern classic of Indian cinema, largely due to its stellar ensemble cast and their nuanced portrayals of the 1970s underworld. Directed by Milan Luthria, the film explores the power shift between an idealistic smuggler and his ambitious, ruthless protege. Lead Actors and Iconic Characters This was the film that broke Emraan Hashmi
And that, dear reader, is the real once-upon-a-time.