It’s been confirmed that Milan Luthria’s epic gangster movie, Once Upon A Time in Mumbai will star Bollywood’s Big Bad Bear, Sanjay Dutt. He will play the role of gangster Haji Mastan who along with Karim Lala and Varadarajan ruled the streets in Mumbai in the 1970s, extending their influence into politics and Bollywood.
“The film will portray a period in Mumbai when the city first saw what organised crime was and the extent of violence it can cause,” says Milan. “Our film is based on what the city went through in that period, how suddenly the gangsters ruled the streets and people were terrified.”
Haji Mastan has been seen on film before. Amitabh Bachchan played a role based on him in Deewar and is said to have met him to observe his mannerisms. Mastan, who had connections with Dilip Kumar, died in 1994.
50-year-old Sanjay Dutt is currently shooting in South Africa for the movie Chatur Singh Two Star and has recently signed a nine-movie deal with Balaji Films.
