Film

Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai

Name: Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai
Genre: Drama, Thriller, Crime
Released: 2010
Cast: Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi, Kangana Ranaut, Prachi Desai, Randeep Hooda

Gangster

A stylish crime saga spanning decades of Mumbai's underworld, where a seasoned gangster mentors his ambitious successor across a landscape of betrayal and power. Operatic in scope, visually lush, and driven by terrific performances. For anyone who loves gangster films with melodrama and swagger.

TMDb rating

3.4

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy crime sagas built on two rival lives echoing across decades, with the grit of old-school Bombay gangster films and a stylish, melodramatic streak.

Skip it if you want a tight, fast-moving thriller; at 132 minutes it lingers on romance, songs and sprawling backstory, and the melodrama can feel heavy-handed.

What it asks of you: Settle in for over two hours that move between two timelines, asking you to hold both men's histories in mind while the mood swings between brooding and operatic.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 12012

A sprawling, violent saga of rival criminal families in a coal-mining region, told with Anurag Kashyap's unflinching style. Bleaker and grittier than Mumbaai, but with the same epic ambition and character depth.

But Its four-hour runtime and graphic violence won't suit everyone. Some plot threads feel deliberately loose; it's not interested in neat resolution.

Sarkar2005

Ram Gopal Varma's slicker take on underworld power dynamics, with Amitabh Bachchan as a crime boss navigating Mumbai's criminal empire. Taut, stylish, and heavily influential on how Hindi cinema portrays gangsters.

But The screenplay moves fast and assumes you're keeping up. Some dated CGI and late-2000s styling may feel worn now.

Shootout at Lokhandwala2007

Based on a true encounter between police and gangsters, it captures the raw, violent edge of Mumbai's streets with unflinching realism. Sushant Singh Rajput and Vivek Oberoi deliver intense, restrained performances.

But It's repetitive and brutal in ways that don't always deepen character. Some viewers find the glorification of violence uncomfortable.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Nayakan1987

Both are decades-long chronicles of a single gangster's rise, fall, and the emptiness of power; Nayakan is the Tamil cinema blueprint that Mumbaai adapts into Hindi idiom.

Mani Ratnam's Tamil masterpiece about a gangster's rise and moral decline, spanning decades. It's operatic, visually stunning, and the emotional core—what ambition costs—predates and influences films like Mumbaai.

But It's in Tamil with subtitles, and the 1987 print quality varies. At nearly three hours, it demands engagement with a different cinematic language.

Initial D2005

Vishal Bhardwaj's tense thriller about a Mumbai underworld don, with the fractured structure of a revenge narrative. Shadowy cinematography and a paranoid mood make it feel claustrophobic and immediate.

But The non-linear storytelling can feel muddled. It's more about atmosphere than plot clarity, which frustrates some viewers.

Agneepath2012

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's revenge epic, with Hrithik Roshan as a man clawing his way up from nothing into the criminal underworld. Visually sumptuous and psychologically darker than the original.

But It's deliberately overwrought—the melodrama and artifice won't click if you want restraint. The runtime stretches thin in places.

The Godfather1972

The blueprint for all crime sagas, including Mumbaai. Coppola's study of power, loyalty, and corruption across generations redefined how we tell stories about organized crime and family legacy.

But If you've already seen it, no new ground. And at three hours, it demands your full attention—there's a reason it's been called glacial by viewers seeking action over character.

City of God2002

Fernando Meirelles' frenetic Brazilian favela crime saga, with kinetic editing and a sprawling ensemble cast. It shares Mumbaai's scope and moral ambiguity but moves at a completely different tempo.

But The rapid-fire editing and chaotic structure can feel exhausting. Some find the violence gratuitous and the portrayal of poverty exploitative.

A Prophet2009

Jacques Audiard's French masterpiece about a young man's rise in prison and the underworld. Methodical, intelligent, and deeply moving in ways that transcend the crime genre.

But It's deliberately paced and introspective—nothing like the bombast of Mumbaai. Subtitles required, and patience essential.

Satya1998

Ram Gopal Varma's stylish precursor to the modern Hindi crime film, following a taxi driver pulled into Mumbai's underworld. Pioneering visual language and Aamir Khan's understated performance made it a watershed moment.

But The early-digital cinematography looks dated now. Some dialogue feels stilted, and the pacing sags in the second half.

The Killing2011

Both explore how crime becomes woven into the fabric of a city, but where Mumbaai celebrates the criminal's charisma, The Killing shows the machinery that enables and perpetuates it.

Søren Stauss Lassen's Danish series about a methodical murder investigation spiraling into institutional corruption. Glacial, obsessive, and morally suffocating—crime as a system, not a spectacle.

But It's slow, bleak, and utterly unglamorous. The underworld here is bureaucratic and joyless; nothing like Mumbaai's swagger. Patience required.

Election2005

Both are about succession and power within criminal hierarchies, but Election treats it as absurdist ceremony; Mumbaai plays it as tragic destiny.

Johnnie To's Hong Kong thriller about a triad gang leader election, told with Brechtian distance and jet-black humor. It's a heist wrapped in organized crime, where stakes are symbolic and violence is mundane.

But Stylistically austere and darkly comic in ways that prioritize mood over narrative clarity. Some find it cold and impenetrable.