Gaining a foothold on the 'Footpath' of cinebiz, Emraan Hashmi soared to turn 'Gangster' even as his rivals screamed blue 'Murder'. Currently, his nefarious upgrading his resulted in Hashmi being vaulted to don status for 'Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai.' Mr. Cine Kisser is hoping to buss success, nice and proper, in Ekta Kapoor's underworld centric opus helmed by Milan Luthria The buzz is electrifying. With its rivetting promos, 'Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai' has captivated the collective psyches of viewers. And the don centric flick, mired in controversy, has earned tabloid tattle for all the great right reasons� and some super wrong ones too. Ekta Kapoor's production will showcase the histrionics of Emraan Hashmi pitted against those of a redoubtable actor: Ajay Devgn. While media rumours strongly suggest that Devgn's character Sultan is modelled along the life and times of Haji Mastan, word has it that Hashmi's character Shoaib has been patterned along the lines of Dawood Ibrahim. Chucking all rumours with a flourish and asserting that 'Once Upon�' is a "fictional film," Hashmi discloses details over his portrayal in the Milan Luthria helmed movie. Excerpts from a swift chat� On underworld depiction "This film is based on the underworld, on how the underworld evolved in Mumbai. But 'Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai' is different from the other crime films because it shows how the underworld evolved, changed and gradually began in Mumbai city. This movie is based in time around the 1960s and 1970s. It is a different film from the particular genre of gangster movies." On his cine character "I'm playing a guy called Shoaib. He is a mad, erratic kind of a person who lives in Dongri. He doesn't respect the police; he always wants to do something illegal. He has got his mind on the other side of the law. He looks up to this man called Sultan who is ruling Mumbai at that time and he wants to be a part of Sultan's gang. He also hopes to rule Mumbai, one day. Sultan takes him under his wings, and essentially the film talks about their friendship and then how it converts to rivalry, later." On realistic similarities "Well, it's is false. All such talk that the film has been heavily based on the life of any underworld don is false. We have never claimed that the movie is based on a particular real life character." On 1970s matinee idols "Oh yes, there is Amitabh Bachchan and Shashi Kapoor too whom I used to admire a lot. Of course, knowing how people dressed back then, it was kind of exciting and I also loved the way in which these two actors dressed up in the 1970s." On role preparation "I had to train and physically look fit for this role. I had to put on some muscles for this character. I had health issues due to it but nothing too serious." On don characters "Well, 'Once Upon�' is not based on Haji Mastan, but it is about two characters who begin as friends and eventually they end up at loggerheads. Shoaib is the younger one, the guy who is on his way up. So I think that suited me more than Sultan's character, which is played by Ajay (Devgn)." On his 1970s look "It was designed by two girls. They were the key inputs for the kind of 'look' that was needed for the film and my 'look'. So I left it to them. I've worn flared bell bottoms and high collared shirts, which was the ruling style at that time. Allan did my hair and everything was put together by these people. They have done a fabulous job. Of course, we used to have discussions, but eventually theirs was the main contribution." On director Milan Luthria "Milan is extremely patient, a very sensible guy. He has given this underworld film a completely different take and look. I think Milan is one of the few directors who will always be a force to reckon with in the near future. He has a new sense of cinema and a great visual sense." On Ajay Devgn "He is very effortless. Ajay has won major awards for his acting, including the national awards and he has worked here for 20 years. So it was a great learning experience for me. He's surely an inspiration for young actors." On dialogues "The dialogues are the main USP of the film, so they had to be spicy. It had to be such that it could connect to the audience; it was not simply for effect. The dialogues are a driving force of the film that goes with the story and the characters in it." On role challenges "I think every role come with its own challenge. For this film, the character needed a certain intensity, at the same time he had to look emotional and vulnerable. The character needed to be physically fit. These aspects were definitely challenging." On film's USP "The songs, characters, performances, humour and the different 'looks' that we have experimented with are all the USP of the film." On security issues "We have never claimed that 'Once Upon�' is based on any real life underworld character. So there is no question of fear or any security issue here. As I've said before, this is a fictional film." On Sets Appeal "We shot at various locations in Mumbai, where there were buildings which are of today's date. So we had to delete these with special effects and put in buildings which were present at that time. We had to essentially keep that in mind. The sets have been designed in such a manner that it looks authentic; it is the contribution of the art direction team, which has made it all look so realistic. In fact, many a time when we were shooting, we'd get the feeling that we have really gone back in time and reached the 1970s." On the movie's music "Pritam has given some tremendous music for this film. There had to be a blend between 2010's music and 70's orchestration. 'Peey loon' is my favorite track. Lyrics are good and the singers also have sung it well. It's a wholesome album. Generally, there is less scope for music in an underworld film, but we've changed that. Music is also a key selling point of 'Once Upon�.'." On image change "Hopefully, the image of a "serial kisser" will be wiped off with this film! I have tried to do something different. Definitely, there will be offers for similar roles, but I will not play them. I think I will surprise audiences with my role in 'Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai' Movie : Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai Celebrity : Emraan Hashmi News Rating :