My cocktail cast

That's just one of seven reasons why director Milan Luthria thinks you should catch his film releasing this week

Milan Luthria's Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai releases today. The director, who has previously made Kachche Dhaage and Taxi No 9211, has set his latest offering in the Mumbai of the 1970s. He lists the highlights of his film here. Read on...



Badmen ki boli
The dialogues are punchy, humourous and witty. Rajat Aroraa has done a good job writing them. It creates the mood of the '70s.

Blast to the past
The film has a great retro-feel. We have recreated the fashion, the music, the costumes and even the make-up people followed forty years ago. You can also see vintage cars that were driven during those years.

Musically yours
The music score is one of the highlights of the film. We already have three songs among the top 10 of various countdown shows. There's Pee Loon by Mohit Chauhan, Tum Jo Aaye by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Parda by Sunidhi Chauhan. The music company has informed me that after a long time, the audio CDs of a film are flying off the stores' shelves. It's been an outstanding effort by (music director) Pritam's team.

Combustible cast
The performances of all these actors are personal milestones for them. Actors may act in over 100 films, but when we look back at their careers, there are only a few that come to mind. This will be one such film for all the actors, be it Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi, Prachi Desai or Kangna Ranaut. I chose them because no one has cast them together before and I felt they made a good cocktail. Of course, they also suited the characters they had to play. All of them are fine actors, combustible performers.

Need for speed
OUATIM moves at a fast, slick pace. It is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat, especially the parts after the interval.

Mumbai meri jaan
I love Mumbai and we have explored little known parts of the city. We have shot at locations that have not changed in the last forty years, like the dockyards. We have shown parts of the city which have not been showcased in any film.

Of swaggers 'n' guns
OUATIM also marks the return of machismo after a long time, in the characters played by Ajay Devgn and Emraan Hashmi. The only other macho hero nowadays is Sanjay Dutt. Romances may be ruling the box office for some time now, but a worldwide research has found that macho men have eternal appeal for women.