Mumbai Saga is a massy, action film depicting an interesting chapter from Mumbai’s underworld history. Thankfully, it tells a tale which many don’t know about and that adds to the fun. The film moves swiftly and packs in a lot in 127 minutes. The action scenes are truly exciting and even the dialogues compliment the massy goings-on. The twist in the pre-climax is unexpected. On the flipside, the first half is weak. John Abraham’s rise seems very easy. The first hour is also a bit stretched. The character development and backstories is absent for most characters. A few of them are interesting but don’t get the screen space they deserve. Also, the VFX is tacky. Speaking of performances, John Abraham shines. He is rocking in action scenes and he looks every inch a dreaded gangster. And the way he flashes his dimpled smile briefly is appealing. Emraan Hashmi unfortunately has a late entry. But once he enters the narrative, he makes the film better. His dialogues are sure to induce claps. Mahesh Manjrekar plays a character inspired from a real life legendary deceased politician and does justice. Amole Gupte is fair but his character is caricature. Prateik Babbar looks a bit off and could have done better. Kajal Aggarwal and Anjana Sukhani are wasted. Gulshan Grover, Rohit Bose Roy, Shaad Randhawa (Jagannath) and Vivaan Parashar (Sadashiv) do well. Suniel Shetty looks stylish in the special appearance. All in all, Mumbai Saga is a timepass action flick and a must watch for masala film lovers.
My rating – *** out of 5!