When Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai hit the screen in 2010, it wasn’t just another Bollywood gangster film. It was a slow-burn, morally grey love letter to an era—the 1970s Bombay of polyester shirts, rotary phones, and rising crime. But the film’s real magic lay in its casting. Director Milan Luthria assembled a trio of actors who didn’t just play their parts; they inhabited the ghosts of Mumbai’s underworld.
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
Devgn insisted that his character’s signature white kurta-pyjama be starched so stiffly that it crinkled audibly. He believed that the sound of power was the rustle of crisp cotton, not the click of a gun. 2. Emraan Hashmi: The Serpent and the Scene-Stealer If Devgn is the iceberg, Emraan Hashmi’s Shoaib Khan (based on Dawood Ibrahim) is a wildfire. Shoaib starts as a loyal protégé and morphs into a hungry, slick-haired beast who wants to own Bombay. When Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai hit