Emraan Hashmi was warned his career will be over if he signs this film, he didn't listen, movie became...

Written By Aman Wadhwa | Updated: Jul 15, 2024, 06:49 PM IST

Emraan Hashmi/Instagram

Emraan Hashmi was warned by Mahesh Bhatt that his career will be over if he plays Shoaib Khan, inspired by Dawood Ibrahim, in Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai.

Directed by Milan Luthria, the 2010 gangster drama Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai features Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi, Kangana Ranaut, Prachi Desai and Randeep Hooda. Made in Rs 36 crore, the film was a commercial success as it earned Rs 85.20 crore at the global box office, as per the entertainment tracking portal Sacnilk.

Ajay Devgn and Emraan Hashmi's characters of Sultan Mirza and Shoaib Khan were inspired by Mumbai underworld gangster Haji Mastan and Dawood Ibrahim, respectively. In a recent interview, Emraan revealed that his uncle and filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt had warned him not to sign the film saying that it will end his career, but the actor took a risk and went ahead with it.

Talking to The Lallantop, the Zeher actor said, "He (Mahesh Bhatt) warned me, 'While some characters with grey shades are able to redeem themselves, this character will change people’s perception of you overnight. If you play this character, your career will be over.'" Emraan further added how Bhatt apologised to the film's director Milan after Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai turned out to be a success as he said, "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."


Ajay Devgn and Emraan Hashmi in Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai

After the 2010 film became a hit, Milan Luthria made its sequel called Once Upon ay Time in Mumbai Dobaara!, in which Akshay Kumar replaced Emraan Hashmi as Shoaib Khan. Also starring Imran Khan and Sonakshi Sinha, the 2013 gangster film flopped at the box office.

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