Bollywood review: 'Once Upon Ay Time in Mumbai Dobaara'

Once upon a time in Mumbai, there lived a gangster named Shoaib, who spent a large chunk of his life lecturing all and sundry about his glorious devilish ways and proclaiming how he’d rather be a villain because the hero only owned the spotlight in the final reel.

So, when he isn’t thumping or pumping bullets into other minions for a city’s supremacy, he is speaking in inane rhymes and refusing to take off his shades even when he’s indoors or at night.

His life, however, is shaken when a new girl in town – Kashmir-born Jasmine – shocks him with her brutal honesty.

Instead of pulling the trigger and setting things right, like he claims he often does, he shockingly remains mum and falls hopelessly in love.

And in his pursuit of a “happily ever after”, he (almost) abandons his fight.

Also, caught in this love affair is Shoaib’s man Aslam, who despite pledging his life to his master’s welfare finds himself competing with him for the same girl’s attention.

This unusual love triangle distracts the baddies from achieving their mission of owning a city. And in turn, they are left fighting each other like mushy fools.

The real action, however, unfolds only in the last 30 minutes, where the men are soaked in blood and constantly roll their eyes (barring Shoaib, of course) to display their frustration.

Director Milan Luthria, who had earlier made the volatile gangster flick ‘Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai’, fumbles and falters to piece together its “sequel”.

With no real conflict to resolve and absolutely no link with the original, barring a few naming references, a background score and a blink-and-you-would-miss shot of Ajay Devgn, Milan pitches an unlikely battle over love.

Apart from the three main lovers, and their insecurities, there’s Sonali Bendre, who has a few minutes of screen time to imply what a selfish soul Shoaib has turned out to be. Nothing different from what he constantly declares through the film.

The dialogues strike an impact, initially at least, but soon the novelty wears off when everyone ends up speaking in rhymes, leaving us thoroughly exhausted.

Writer Rajat Aroraa  mocks Bollywood clichés a few times, some genuinely funny, but what doesn’t realize is that he has unknowingly ended up creating a mockery of himself.

Among the cast, Sonakshi Sinha gets the most flattering part, with her pleasing personality highlighted to the optimum to portray Jasmine.

The camera doesn’t fail to compliment her, capturing her in numerous gorgeous frames. For a script that doesn’t require her to exhibit her acting chomps, Sonakshi is left to merely flutter her luscious eyelashes or flash her gorgeous smile to capture Jasmine’s varied struggles. And, she does it impressively.

Imran Khan, on the other hand, is left with the most awkward part. He is apparently the hero, or the man who eventually wins the woman, but his character is never allowed to soak up the spotlight. In turn, he’s asked to play second fiddle to the villain.

He does as he’s told, so there’s nothing astounding that Imran does to give Aslam an edge.

Akshay finds the most undemanding character to play, where he speaks in the same tone and hides behind the sunglasses through most part. He smirks, snarls and punches without much grit.

He sleepwalks through it all, and it shows. For an actor who impressed us with ‘Special 26’, this one’s a complete letdown.

At 160-minutes, Milan’s attempts at creating a volatile love story, ends up unintentionally comical and unforgivably torturous.

In fact, his world is so convoluted and agonizing that it’s better left unwatched.

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