Emraan Hashmi says Mahesh Bhatt warned him against playing Shoaib, inspired by Dawood Ibrahim, in Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai: ‘Your career will be over’

Emraan Hashmi, who plays Shoaib in Once Upon a Time In Mumbaai, recalls Mahesh Bhatt warning him against playing the character due to its irredeemable nature.

In the climax scene of Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai, Emraan Hashmi's character kills Ajay Devgn's character, Sultan Mirza. (Image: YouTube/NHStudio)

Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai was indeed a significant film in Emraan Hashmi‘s career, where he portrayed the character of Shoaib Khan, inspired by fugitive underworld gangster Dawood Ibrahim. However, Emraan faced initial opposition from his uncle and director Mahesh Bhatt, who was apprehensive about the actor taking on such a negative role because director Milan Luthria had narrated the film’s story to him.

In a recent interview with The Lallantop, Emraan shared that Mahesh Bhatt had warned him, saying, “If you play this character, your career will be over.” Bhatt’s reservations stemmed from concerns about the irredeemable nature of the character and the potential shift in audience perception of Hashmi. “He warned me, ‘While some characters with grey shades are able to redeem themselves, this character will change people’s perception of you overnight,’” the Murder actor recalled.

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Despite these warnings, Emraan decided to take on the role. Following the film’s release and its subsequent success, Bhatt apologised to the film’s director, Milan Luthria. Emraan added, “When the film released and became a massive success, he called Milan and said, ‘I am sorry. I was wrong.’ He admitted that the film, contrary to his initial thoughts, was entertaining rather than dark.”

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The film’s climax was particularly controversial, as it deviated from typical Bollywood endings. In the film, the protagonist Sultan Mirza (played by Ajay Devgn) is killed, and Shoaib Khan begins to rule the city. Emraan mentioned that this unconventional ending was a significant risk but ultimately contributed to the film’s success. “The hero of the film is killed and Shoaib begins to rule the city. It was quite different from other films. Ajay died and my character was an anti-hero. Bhatt saab was sceptical about the ending too. He was not sure if the audience would like it. But in our industry, only when you take a risk, you see success. Formula seldom works in our industry,” he shared.

Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai (2010) is a neo-noir crime thriller film written by Rajat Arora and directed by Milan Luthria and featuring Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi, Kangana Ranaut, Prachi Desai, and Randeep Hooda in pivotal roles.

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