Akshay to play romantic Dawood in OUATIM 2

Unlike the original, Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai sequel will show the romantic side of underworld in a big way. And keeping the romantic angle in mind, the makers have approached Kareena Kapoor.

Remember the headstrong and ruthless Emraan Hashmi in Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai (OUATIM)? Apparently, his part was loosely based on Dawood Ibrahim. The film depicted the growth of the Mumbai underworld through the eyes of Shoaib (Emraan) and Sultan (Ajay Devgn). But as producer Ekta Kapoor and director Milan Luthria embark on a sequel to last year’s hit, the latter promises a “different take on the underworld.” “Unlike the original, it’ll show the romantic side of underworld in a big way,” he says. Actor Akshay Kumar’s role is also likely to be based on the real-life don.

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And keeping the romantic angle in mind, the makers have approached Kareena Kapoor. Though she is yet to read the script, yesteryear actor Mandakini will apparently inspire her character. “We showed the ‘real’ human side in the first part. But this time, it’s going to be a happy and entertaining place instead of guns and blood. Akshay hasn’t done a film like this for a long time,” says Milan.

But what gets Milan most excited these days is his upcoming venture, The Dirty Picture. Ever since the promos of the Ekta-produced film went on air, talks about Naseeruddin Shah’s character being inspired by South superstar Rajinikanth have gained ground.

“No, we haven’t taken that route. Naseer

saab

is playing a superstar of the south. So, people will draw some parallels due to the star power of that era. But his is just a fictional character with shades of gray,” says Milan, adding that Shah asked him to write him a role of a ‘sleaze’ because he was fed up of playing goody-goody roles.