`Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai Again` goes back in time

Mumbai: In a novel way of film promotion, the makers of ‘Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai Again’ launched its first look at the set of a `chawl` here.

Directed by Milan Luthria, ‘Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai Again’ is a sequel to the 2010 hit film of the same name. "I made this film because writer Rajat Arora came with a fantastic story that I couldn`t refuse. The first part was about power struggle; this one is a love triangle, more of romance," Luthria told reporters here at the first look launch of ‘Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai Again’. The trailer of the film was launched in the dingy by-lanes of a chawl, multi-storey buildings for middle-class which once dominated Mumbai`s landscape. The entire chawl set was illuminated with lights and it looked real as the crowd cheered from rooftops. "This set up was an outcome of a team effort and everyone, including star cast, director, producer, distributors, contributed," Luthria said. The sequel features actors Akshay Kumar, Imran Khan, Sonali Bendre and Sonakshi Sinha. Akshay made a splashing entry in a vintage car, while Imran came on a bike in the chawl. The movie will hit theatres on Eid (August 8), thus clashing with Rohit Shetty-directed action comedy `Chennai Express`. Though the film is reportedly based on the lives of underworld dons Dawood Ibrahim and Chhota Rajan, it does not claim to portray any real life characters. In the film, Akshay plays Shoaib Khan, while Imran will be seen as Aslam. In the first part, Akshay`s role was essayed by Emraan Hashmi. The sequel is set in Mumbai of 1980s. "It was easy to go back in time. Before I entered into films, I used to live in Sion Koliwada area. I travel back in time every time I visit my house there," Akshay said. The film is produced by Ekta and Shobha Kapoor. PTI