“Aaj se Mumbai tera ja Raaj kar”
Mumbai Saga is a Hindi action crime film by director Sanjay Gupta. As the name suggests the movie takes us through the saga that unfolded in the ’80s and early ’90s in Mumbai or what it was called then Bombay. The movie primarily focuses on Amartya Rao (John Abraham). Amartya lives a simple life and earns his living as a fruit and vegetable vendor. Vendors like him are often extorted by the local mob, choosing not to engage with the miscreants Amartya usually turns a blind eye and obliges with their demands. However, he is forced to take action against them when his younger brother is victimized by their harmful acts. After fending off a high-powered gangster and his goons, Amartya finds himself in power with the support of a local leader Bhau (Mahesh Manjrekar) who in his own words tells Amratya “Aaj se Mumbai tera ja Raaj kar” (From today Mumbai is yours, go rule). With Bhau’s blessings he does go on to rule Mumbai for years, but a different type of storm is about to hit him with the advent of Inspector Vijay Sarvarkar (Emraan Hashmi), who will stop at no end to bring him to justice.
The age-old story of rags-to-riches is now quite ubiquitous and well known. So, any movie created with that backdrop needs to rely on different aspects than the story to make the movie successful. One of these Mumbai Saga prevails in its screenwriting. The dialogues are written amazingly well and are equally matched by the actors for their delivery. The background score and music was well created and surely outmatches other films, at least in the Indian Entertainment Ecosystem. On the acting front Manjrekar and Amol Gupte, the initial antagonist, both do a great job, Emraan Hashmi is rarely seen in the type of role he ends up playing in Mumbai Saga but he too plays his character amazingly well. Lastly, Sunil Shetty graces the screen nonetheless with a short cameo, but he does that amazingly as well.
While I have praised the creation of the music and score, in fairness it was disappointingly placed in the movie. Often overdoing it in many places, with the use of slow-motion which ultimately ends up being annoying by the end of the film. John Abraham does his fight sequences greatly but his acting is bland. Prateik Babbar may not have been the best casting choice for Amratya’s younger brother. The film is fairly predictable and lacks any surprises. Finally, the end of the film suggests that the movie is somewhat of a biography, but it is far from it with loads of fictional characters with further fictionalized scenes.
In conclusion, Mumbai Saga is nothing new or innovative for Indian audiences. There is a lot the movie could have done but don’t. If you love Indian action movies this surely won’t disappoint. For others, if you like to watch a movie with depth and a good story, passing on this one won’t be the worst idea.
Acting- 7.5
Casting- 7
Cinematography- 8
Dialogue- 8.5
Directing- 8
Editing & Effects- 5
Sound & Music- 7.5
Story- 7.5
Storytelling- 6
Rating- 6
Available On: Amazon Prime
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