ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI is a hit and as it has happened again, Ajay Devgn has managed to stand tall in yet another multi starrer. Meanwhile, the actor asserts that it was never the case of only him dominating the proceedings. With Emraan as another strong protagonist in the film, he doesn't have any qualms about Emraan too enjoying his place under the sun.

"I am never insecure. Also, a film can turn out better only if you look at it as a whole rather than just your character", reasons Ajay, "In OUATIM, the screen time for Emraan as well as me was very balanced because the screenplay is such. There is a positive force and a negative force. The film was about a King and a Prince so both roles required equal prominence."

The film was always in controversies ever since its announcement a year and a half back. Once the film's basic plotline about a King and a Prince was revealed, tongues had started wagging around Haji Mastan v/s Dawood Ibrahim episode. Now that the film is there for all to see, what does Ajay have to say about the entire controversy?

"It was always a fictional take on the state of affairs and people realized it for themselves once the film released", says Ajay, "Lot of things get written and talked about but as film makers, we know what is there in the eventual story line. Also, once a film begins, all comparisons begin to fade because the characters take over. I know that people have loved Sultan and Shoaib (the characters played by Ajay and Emraan). As audience has taken these names back home, it is a win in itself."

ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI has released and this time around, Ajay Devgn hasn't been let down by a friend. After working with Ajay in KACHCHE DHAAGE and CHORI CHORI, director and friend Milan Luthria has given Ajay one of the best roles of his career in the just released film. No wonder, Ajay values the importance of balanced roles in a film that has leading men other than him as well, in this case - Emraan Hashmi.

Today, even as RAAJNEETI has turned out to be the third biggest grosser after 3 IDIOTS and GHAJINI, doesn't Ajay feel that he deserved a much better role?

"See, I have said this earlier as well that once I came on board for RAAJNEETI, it was entirely up to Prakash Jha on how did he justify my presence", says Ajay, "When he narrated the idea of RAAJNEETI to me, I only had one question from him - 'Should I do this film?'. He said yes. After Jha confirmed twice, I didn't ask him any further questions; I was on for the film. Once I am on board as an actor, I don't interfere", Ajay brings the debate to an end here.

So is he in loop now for Prakash Jha's next as well? The fact remains that ever since the release and success of RAAJNEETI, there have been speculations galore about strained relationship between the two. Does Ajay wish to settle the issue on records once for and all?

"First and foremost, I don't think that there are any issues. Secondly, he is working on a script that he would be narrating to me very soon. If I like it, I would do it as well. So no, there is no stress between Jha and me. That should settle it once for and all", says Ajay in a firm tone.

There is no doubt that Milan Luthria's gangster flick, ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI, is all set for a smooth ride at the ticket window and one of the factors that has played a very important role in ensuring a good opening week is its chartbusting music by Pritam. Music's lucky mascot Emraan Hashmi has done it once again as the number, Pee Loon, which was already a rage before the film released, has met with a thunderous response by the audience. And it now appears that the title of music's lucky mascot is all set to be proven right once again with Emraan's next, CROOK.

Produced by Vishesh Films and directed by good friend Mohit Suri, who gave Emraan hits like JANNAT and RAAZ-THE MYSTERY CONTNUES, CROOK as most know is about the present racial discrimination faced by Indians in Australia. And the good news is that CROOK too has some excellent music, as has been the norm in most Bhatt -Hashmi films, as they pay special attention to it. Reliable people from the industry who have been fortunate enough to have heard snatches of two songs Challa India and Dil Ye Mera claim that they are sure shot chartbusters.

Well, all we can do is wait for the album to release and hear for ourselves Emraan's next probable chartbusters!

Emraan Hashmi has suddenly burst into the big league with the success of ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI. While commercial and critical acclaim continues to pour in, he still can't forget the pain of his last release TUM MILE which didn't quite take off at the box office despite good feedback and a positive start.

"It still hurts and honestly, I still need to understand why it didn't work, confesses Emraan, "Early calls from trade were so positive when TUM MILE hit the screens. The response was more than overwhelming as the first shows were bigger than even RAAZ - THE MYSTERY CONTINUES and JANNAT. However, after such a great opening, the scenario changed in the evening."

When asked to analyse the reason behind the fall of the film's fortunes, Emraan says with a shrug, "Post the release, you can analyse the film in any which way that you may want. What I think though is that people expected a disaster film. Now because it released with another Hollywood big budget disaster film (2012) which was actually the flavour of the season, people felt that chalo, disaster movie hi dekhni hai to usse dekhte hain. That was their appetite for the weekend and 2012 turned out to be their first choice."

There are lessons that he for sure has learnt over the last few months.

"It is also about knowing that one has to be true to the market. Your marketing campaign has to be about the film and not something which is peripheral. TUM MILE was the story about a couple with disaster just being a subplot. However, the posters gave an impression of it being an out and out disaster film. The film was about a couple and how they fell in love after breaking up but unfortunately that point was totally missed from the marketing and promotional campaign. However, the campaign was totally bang on target in case of ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI, something which has clearly paid off", ends Emraan on a happy note.

Ajay Devgn has always been famed for doing daring action sequences. Moreover, he has always believed in performing his own stunts. He made a rather grand entry into celluloid by standing atop two moving motorcycles in his debut movie PHOOL AUR KAANTE.

In his recently released hit movie ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI, Ajay once again teamed up with his KACHCHE DHAAGE director Milan Luthria. Milan and Ajay had done a much acclaimed train sequence in the very successful KACHCHE DHAAGE.
Age has not brought down the fit actor even today as he insists and continues doing his own stunts. In ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI Ajay Devgn pulled off a similar perilous train sequence. A camera rig was attached to the side of the train which was to pass Ajay Devgn. The train was traveling at over 100 kmph and it was very important for Ajay to find his balance or else something could have gone horribly wrong. The 50 kg camera rig came within three inches of Ajay Devgn's face and he did the scene without even flinching a bit. Thus, there was a lot of danger involved as Ajay was placed only inches away from the speeding train. Fortunately, the scene went off smoothly without any mishaps.

Well, with such a powerful star cast and abundant realistic sequences, we're not surprised that the movie has emerged to be a super hit!

Balaji and Milan Luthria's ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI starring Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi, Kangana Ranaut and Prachi Desai has much reason to celebrate as the film opened to outstanding collections.

Cinemax India president - sales, marketing and operations Devang Sampat said, 'The opening of ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI was excellent, it opened at around 80 per cent and is still growing. In places like Gujarat and Nasik, the occupancy was 100 per cent.'
Inox Leisure associate vice president Rajender Singh Jyala said, 'ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI opened very well, with some of the morning shows even running full.'

Seen through the eyes of a police officer, ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI traces the changing face of the Mumbai underworld. The film, set primarily in 1970 Mumbai, follows the rise of Sultan (Ajay Devgn), and his eventual fall, when his protege Shoaib (Emraan Hashmi), challenges his supremacy, and usurps power to rule the murky underbelly of Mumbai.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI -a super-entertaining rewind to the era of romance, smuggling, cabaret and the mafia also had the industry tweeting about the film. Award winning director Madhur Bhandarkar tweeted, 'Saw Once Upon A Time In Mumbai. Is a great cinematic experience of 80s era Ajay Devgn and Emran Hashmi's performances rock. After a long time full claptrap, total paisa vasool, more power to Ekta Kapoor and Milan Lutharia.'

Says an elated Ekta Kapoor, 'I'm very happy with the response the film has received. The collections have been outstanding and all our hard work on the movie has borne fruit.'

ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI releases today and Prachi is going through some nervous times. The youngest member amongst the film's cast and crew, Prachi is enjoying only third Hindi film release of her career after ROCK ON and LIFE PARTNER. How is her professional life going, considering the fact that she has now been in the industry for some time?

"It has been exactly two and a half years since I started and when I look back, I feel that in the earlier days I used to feel so much like a lost child. I used to have these dreamy eyes and debuting with ROCK ON was like a dream coming true. Doing movies was an ambitious thing to do and I started off without any planning", says Prachi, "Now ever since I have worked on OUATIM, I feel much more comfortable than how it was a couple of years back.
 
So can one say that her decisions are independent now or does she still look for guidance from anyone?

"I guess more than the guidance factor, what has really worked for me is that I can feel little more acceptance coming in", says Prachi after a quick thinking, "I am just hoping that now I get my acknowledgment and space as an actor. In fact even after my first couple of films, there were people who used to ask me if that whether I would continue to do films. Now that OUATIM is arriving, I hope that it would be clear to one and all that rather than returning in a jiffy, I am here to play a long innings."

When it comes to ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI, audience as well as trade is pretty much convinced that the character of Sultan (which is modeled on Haji Mastan) is tailor-made for Ajay Devgn who pretty much seems to be in his 'intense and dramatic' zone here.

"Well, that's what people say even though I never say that", says Ajay with a smile, "Any role can be said to be tailor-made for anyone. The fact remains though that you have to work hard on every role. You have to study a character and then bring in your own interpretation so that you can perform it well. Aisa nahi hota that a director comes and tell you that 'Hey Ajay, I wrote this role for you so you do it' and then you feel glad about it and give an instant nod of consent. So even though Milan (Luthria) is a friend and said that he wanted me to play Sultan, I asked him to narrate the script to me before saying 'yes'."

While friendship between Jha and Devgn may have met some roadblocks for some duration at least, what was it about the relationship between Ajay and Milan that made they stay away for full seven years? It was way back in 1999 that Ajay had given a break to debutant Milan for KACHCHE DHAAGE and then also followed it up with CHORI CHORI (2003). However, the two went their different ways with Milan making DEEWAR (Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Akshaye Khanna), TAXI NO. 9211(Nana Patekar, John Abraham) and HAT TRICK (Nana Patekar, Danny Denzongpa, Paresh Rawal, Kunal Kapoor) with Ajay not featuring in any of the three films.

"Issme koyi badi baat nahi hai", Ajay shrugs away any insinuations, "Casting is done according to scripts and there are some characters that suit and some which don't. Milan and I have been friends for quite some time and ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI is one film where he thought of me as the right fit and hence came to me. In any case, In fact I used to be open with him around casting for these films as well and even share my suggestions. I was always in loop."

For Emraan, it was fascinating to work in a film like ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI since it enabled him to relive the era gone' something about which he had only heard from his parents.

"My dad has been through the times in the 70s and the 80s when underworld stories had first started making headlines. As a kid, I used to chance upon hearing such stories", recollects Emraan, "Now that Milan was narrating the script to me, I found myself exploring the roots of where it all began. Underworld figures have always been larger than life and what we get to see in the film is some really fascinating stuff. I am sure we have a winner in hands."

No wonder, he didn't hesitate once he was convinced with the script of ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI. Despite Ajay Devgn being a powerhouse performer, Emraan knew that he would manage to stand on his own and come up with a bravura act himself.

"It was all about catching hold of an opportunity like that. For a good film, even if there are number of other actors, I won't let that slip by due to any hard or fast rule that I may have set for myself. Aap har waqt nahi soch sakte hi film mein kitne hero hain", reasons Emraan, "If it is a great story, as in the case of ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI, all calculations and trade have to be kept aside. You have to go with the flow, simple. Aakhir apne lifetime mein how many great roles do you actually get?"

As the much awaited gangster movie ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI hits theatres on 30th July 2010, the audiences will also get to see a glimpse of AAKROSH directed by Priyadarshan.

The theatrical promo of AAKROSH will be shown on the same day alongwith it. AAKROSH is a hard-hitting film about love across caste barriers and honour killing set in Bihar.

Starring Ajay Devgan, Akshay Khanna, Bipasha Basu, Raima Sen, Amita Pathak, and Paresh Rawal, the movie has been produced by Mr. Kumar Mangat under the banner of 'Big Screen Entertainer'.
 
The soundtrack of the movie has been composed by Pritam and the lyricist is Irshad Kamil. Robin Bhatt has written the screenplay whereas Aditya Dhar has penned the dialogues.

The cinematography has been done by Thiru Ranga and the production design has been handled by Sabu Cyril. Tyag Ranjan and R.P Yadav have arranged the action sequences of the movie.

The film is slated for release on 1st October, 2010.

The cat is out of the bag. Kangna has admitted that the character of Rehana which she plays in ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI is indeed based on a real actress who existed in the 70s. Her name was Sona and though no one knows where she is today, she was the love interest of Haji Mastan (a Mumbai based don on whom Ajay Devgn's character is based).

"Well, I have been told that Haji Mastan was in love with this girl called Sona", Kangna says in a hush-hush tone, "She was a Madhubala look-alike and a struggler during the 70s. She had worked in this film called KACHCHE DHAAGE that starred Vinod Khanna and Moushumi Chatterjee. When Haji Mastan and Sona met, they became romantically involved. He even went on to make a movie for her."


While producer Ekta Kapoor and director Milan Luthria are officially not quite declaring ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI to be the real life tale of Haji Mastan or Dawood Ibrahim, it was pretty much obvious to one and all that the comparisons were not coincidental by any means. The question that was fast making the rounds was that whose story was being played by Kangna Ranaut, the ever mysterious woman both on and off the screen? Add to the fact that she is playing an actress in the film and tongues had started wagging. Before the name Sona was revealed, it was also being speculated that Kangna's reference points could well be Madhubala or Meena Kumari.

"As such there is no particular reference point", comes an instant denial from the pretty girl-woman, "As for the actresses that you mention, how can you even think of that? Haji Mastan and Madhubala belonged to a different period altogether. While Haji Mastan was active in the decade of 70s, Meena Kumari used to act during 50s and 60s. There can't be any connection at all so where was the question of my character being based on Madhubala at all?"

Ever since ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI was announced and proclaimed to be about the gangs of Mumbai (then called Bombay) with the 70s battle of Haji Mastan and Dawood Ibrahim being a definite highlight, there was immense curiosity to know more about the presence of leading ladies in the film.

However, Kangna - just like most of the cast members of the film - refuses to comment on the reference point. "If you ask me then there is my reference point to any real life personality that any of the male protagonists may have been connected to in reality. On closer look you would find that my character is based more on the rebellious actresses from 70s like Zeenat Aman and Parveen Babi. They changed the way actresses were perceived to be in the era gone by. These women were bold, beautiful, daring, gorgeous and above all courageous. They were the ones who started the trend of live in relationships, something which is so 'in' today."

Kangna is happy that she went ahead and played yet another character that stems from a biographical tale.

"The brief that was given to me by Milan (Luthria) was that I have to project such a woman with whom every man should fall in love", she smiles, "On the face value this seems simple but enacting this is a different challenge altogether. To play a Bollywood Diva who is so real isn't something that is easy to portray. I had to act a lot through eyes and emotions."

Well one had all the right reasons to believe so. After all Kangna Ranaut has made a career out of playing mysterious or biographical characters (Monica Bedi for GANGSTER, Parveen Babi for WOH LAMHE, a drug addict model in FAHION) ever since she entered the industry. Now that she is all set to play a Bollywood Diva, ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI should hopefully make for a glam filled fun watch once it releases all over on 30th July.

Prachi Desai is someone who makes once a year appearance. In 2008 she made a rocking debut with ROCK ON, in 2009 she followed it up with another reasonable success in LIFE PARTNER and this year she has ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI is coming up, a film that has sent just the right signals in the industry. However, given the fact that Prachi has maintained a plain Jane image for herself during all these years, one does get a strong sense that she has created some boundaries for herself when it comes to picking and choosing roles.
"Honestly speaking, I haven't really made any conscious effort around this", says Prachi, "In fact what has proven to be a drawback is my earlier work that I did for television. I was offered the kind of roles in films that reminded people of my TV stint. I didn't want to do that. Thankfully, now the situation has changed for better so people are looking at me differently as well."

Being someone who is keeping a wait and watch stance as far as picking up newer assignments is concerned, Prachi understands that the going would be a little tougher for her. "Frankly, I am a complete outsider which makes things even tougher for me. For us actors, it is the script, director and the role that chooses you and not the other way around. All I have done consciously though is not to accept roles that I have been doing earlier on TV or even my couple of films. I don't want to repeat myself."

She doesn't believe that it is only girl-next-door roles for her so far in Bollywood.

She says, "If you look at my films so far, ROCK ON had me playing a very subtle character, in LIFE PARTNER there was a lot more comedy while ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI has me in a period setting. So yes, they have all been different".

Emraan Hashmi is all set for his upcoming film, ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI, in which he's playing an underworld don. According to the actor, his 'serial kisser' tag will go after this film.

"Definitely it's a major depart from playing romantic roles. Hopefully, I won't be addressed as a serial kisser after OUATIM. The script and the film is a completely different genre for me," said Emraan


The film also stars Ajay Devgn, Kangana Ranaut and Prachi Desai.

On working with Ajay Devgn, Emraan said, "It's extremely intimidating to work with Ajay Devgn. He's an actor who has won a National Award and who oozes that kind of intensity in the frame."

The 31-year-old actor further added, "For a young actor it is almost like going to acting school and learning. It was a tremendous experience as well. Just sit there and watch him act. I really admire him as an actor and learnt a lot from him."

Emraan had to work a lot on his body for this film. But he completely loathes the term 'six pack abs'.

"I hate this term six-pack. When Milan narrated the script he made sure that the character demands an overall muscular physique. Because of the action sequences, the toughness in the look was required," he said.

Directed by Milan Luthria, ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI is set to release on July 30.

Kangna Ranaut cannot stop praising the queen of the 70's - Zeenat Aman. For her role in the film ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI, Kangna did an extensive research on Zeenat Aman before portraying the role.

According to Kangna Ranaut, the charisma of Zeenat Aman was inescapable every time she saw her film.
It must be recalled that Kangna is playing a role that borders on the popularity of Zeenat Aman during her peak days.

Speaking about the era of the seventies, the actress says, "What I noticed while playing my character in the film was the fact that the heroine of the seventies took half an hour to get dressed and more than two hours to style her hair."

Though Kangna cannot stop praising the retro time for its style, but at the moment her concern is that the audiences accept and appreciate her in the retro look.

Big B's DEEWAR, which has gained cult status amongst movie buffs for decades, continues to find patronage from the young generation of actors. One such actor is Emraan Hashmi who, despite not being the man who could be expected to fill the long shoes of Amitabh Bachchan (pun intended), is truly fascinated by the world that was created by the actor in the 70s classic.
"Mr. Bachchan is a legend today and back then he was a huge superstar. In my growing up years as a kid, I remember getting all awed by the rustic charisma that he carried. For youngsters of my age group, he was truly a phenomenon. Especially a film DEEWAR couldn't be missed. Everything about the film caught my attention and I wanted to be a part of something like that."

His wish was answered when Milan Luthria came to him with the subject of ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI, a gangster film where he is supposed to be playing the part of Dawood Ebrahim.

"I don't wish to comment on the Dawood factor", states Emraan, "However we have pretty much projected this fact right from the beginning that OUATIM truly depicts the gangster world from the 70s. DEEWAR too belonged to the same era and this very factor made me fascinated enough to become a part of the movie. This was the time period when certain kind of clothes, body language and mannerisms were very fashionable. OUATIM truly depicts that time, right from the visual aspect to the content and of course the music."

On a parting note, Emraan comments, "It was a great era. 70s was the time when underworld had just come into news and was being spoken about. Now we can hear about it all from corners. I guess that's reality."

By now it is known to one and all that ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI is set in the Bombay of 70s. Since the film has an underworld theme to it, there is a situation in this Milan Luthria directed affair where the lead protagonists come together for a party outing. This is where Gauhar Khan comes into picture as she gyrates to a track 'Parda'.

Reveals a member from the film, "There is some great opportunity for music in the film because 70s especially was known for its music. In the song 'Parda' which is sung by Sunidhi Chauhan, Gauhar Khan is occupying the center stage as she re-enacts the kind of cabaret performances that Helen excelled in during that era. The song has references to chartbuster tracks like 'Duniya Mein Logon Ko' (APNA DESH) and 'Monica - Piya Tu Ab To Aaja' (CARAVAN) and should be a riot when revisited with Gauhar."

'Parda' is not a straight forward remix version of the aforementioned tracks though. While there is a retro feel to the song, hence its essence being retained, there is an all new re-orchestration being done by composer Pritam.

Confirms Emraan, "Yes, Pritam has given a very modern feel to the song. Thank goodness 'Parda' is not a plain remix because that would have jacked the overall effect. While Gauhar occupies the stage, the song situation has Ajay, Kangna and me featuring as well."

The promos of Balaji's ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI may be grabbing maximum eyeballs due to serial kisser Emraan Hashmi doing what he is best at but there is another actor in the film, one who never hogs the limelight and lets his work do the talking. Well, we are talking about Ajay Devgan who appears in his most loved serious, intense brooding style in the promos of in ONCE UPON A TIME A MUMBAAI. Ajay Devgan is looking absolutely at ease in his role of the Mafia Don of the seventies.

The trade is upbeat about the film and the reason is obvious. Films based on life of Mafia dons, especially those centered around Mumbai have always clicked with the audience, for example SATYA, COMPANY, SHOOTOUT AT LOKHANDWALA etc.

Moreover the budget of the film is moderately priced and its music is already quite popular and is peaking at just the right time. If the film does succeed which seems quite certain, it will be a hat trick of successes for lead actor Ajay Devgn after ATITHI TUM KAB JAOGE? and the super hit, RAAJNEETI .

So, what is the double hat trick that we are proclaiming in our headlines? Well, it's simple, this is the third time that Ajay Devgn is enacting the role of a don, the last two times that he did, his acting was the subject of much appreciation, both from the audience as well as the critics. The films were Ramgopal Varma's COMPANY and Vishal Bhardwaj's OMKARA. So, if Once Upon A Time In Mumbai does succeed at the turnstile and the public accepts Ajay, this will be a sort of double of hat trick for him as well.

Kangana Ranaut has done some very bold scenes in her past films. Be it GANGSTER, WOH LAMHE, FASHION, LIFE IN A METRO or RAAZ- THE MYSTERY CONTINUES, Kangana has had no qualms in performing them.


However, for a scene in her upcoming film, ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI, Kangana was very nervous and the reason behind her nervousness was Ajay Devgn.

We hear, in a romantic scene in the film, Ajay Devgn expressed his emotions through his large and intense eyes, pretty easily. This made Kangana feel inferior as she thought her eyes were not that expressive. According to Kangana, it was very challenging to act opposite Ajay, who was pretty immaculate.

We are sure that this experience of shooting with Ajay must have raised Kangana's acting skills a notch higher.