Upon A Time In Mumbai Actors Hot! - Once

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.

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

And that, dear reader, is the real once-upon-a-time. Emraan Hashmi: The Serpent and the Scene-Stealer If

Let’s pull back the velvet curtain on the three leads: Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi, and Kangana Ranaut. Their real stories, struggles, and techniques are as dramatic as the film itself. Ajay Devgn played Sultan Mirza—a fictionalized version of the real-life don Haji Mastan. Sultan is a man who wants to be a kingpin with a conscience: he smuggles gold but builds hospitals, wears white khadi, and quotes Urdu poetry. Luthria took a massive risk casting him

Kangana was just 23 when she shot the film. Her character is torn between the dignified Sultan (Devgn) and the dangerous Shoaib (Hashmi). Originally, her role was just eye-candy—a few songs and a weepy scene. Kangana famously fought with Luthria, demanding that Rehana have a spine. She improvised the climactic monologue where she slaps Shoaib and says, "Tum logon ki dosti mein dum hi nahi" (Your friendship has no strength).

Hashmi studied clips of Robert De Niro in The Untouchables and real footage of Dawood Ibrahim. He added a unique tic: Shoaib constantly smooths his hair back, as if physically pushing away any sentimentality. The result? By the climax, you forget you’re watching the guy from Murder —you’re just terrified of Shoaib. 3. Kangana Ranaut: The Wildcard Who Rewrote the Script As Rehana, the star-struck village girl who becomes a conflicted moll, Kangana Ranaut delivered a masterclass in vulnerability. But the interesting part happened off-screen.