After 3 Idiots and Raajneeti, if there is one film which has won all around appreciation for itself, is Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai. It was given that the film would appeal to audience, especially in mass dominated centres. However, the way this out and out masala flick by Milan Luthria has won good reviews for itself leading to critical acclaim has been totally unprecedented. The film was never believed to be a classy affair but unanimous ratings that have ranged from three to four stars has put the film into a different bracket altogether.

This is the reason why producer Ekta Kapoor and Co. didn’t have to worry even though the film didn’t open to an excellent response on Friday. Yes, there was a definite expectation that this Ajay Devgn and Emraan Hashmi starrer would see an opening ranging between 70% and 80%. However, this wasn’t the case with opening shows on Friday being a little slow with a good pick up in the evening, hence leading to the film settling down at around 60%. In a way, this shouldn’t be overtly surprising considering the genre of the film, which needs to grow with every passing show, something that did happen in a big way for Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai.

Makers didn’t get into a panicky situation since the word of mouth has ranged between good, very good to excellent. This was evidenced over the weekend with Saturday and Sunday turning out to be far better than Friday, hence allowing this gangster flick to record as much as 22 crores over the weekend. Since the film is a costly affair, weekdays hold good importance as OUATIM has to stay constant without seeing any major dip over the second weekend. However, with only Aisha as competition in the week to flow, OUATIM should find itself in a safe zone.

What the film has succeeded in doing is to give Ajay yet another reason to cheer about this year after Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge and Raajneeti. With yet another bravura performance, he is fast approaching the Top-5 which is currently being occupied by Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan, and Hrithik Roshan. As for Emraan Hashmi who has delivered his best performance till date, OUATIM is a good example of him making his presence felt despite a two-hero set up.

– Joginder Tuteja/Sampurn Wire