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And here-in lies the dramatic core of Rajat Arora’s dynamic script which catapults the two lead characters as a study in contrast. While Sultan is showcased as the archetypal gentleman crook with a strong moral fibre, Shoaib is unprincipled and rotten to the core. Like that dada of all Dons, Vito Corleone, our desi Godfather too refuses to do drugs and insists he dabbles only with stuff banned by the law of the land not by his conscience. Shoaib, on the other hand, is game for any and everything — treachery, infidelity, gang war, bloodshed — in his unbridled bid for power. Of course, he begins as the trusted acolyte of the man he venerates as God himself (Maine toh bhagwan chun liya hai, ab aap insaan chuniye, he tells the iconic Sultan), but it doesn’t take long before he sets his eyes on the wider horizon. Mumbai mere neeche aur main dhuey ki tarah upar (Mumbai below me while I scale above as smoke), he declares and roller-coasts his way on the road to pure crime and total immorality, ending up as the outlaw who managed to rule the city with remote control. Interestingly, despite presenting Sultan as a larger-than-life figure, the film does manage to keep its moral compass straight and has a seminal sequence which categorically brands all its seemingly heroic characters as criminals, charisma notwithstanding.

Interspersed between this titanic tale of a ganglord and his wannabe are the tender love stories of the two fugitives. Once again, done with a delicate finesse which creates memorable mush on screen as Sultan serenades the actress Rehana (Kangna Ranaut) and Shoaib tries a Bobby with his shy showroom girl Mumtaz (Prachi Desai).

After the innovative and experimental Love Sex aur Dhoka, producer Ektaa Kapoor once again scores with a complete entertainer which boasts of almost everything: a compelling story, crisp and absolutely state-of-the-art dialogues (Rajat Arora), an artistic period piece ambience (Aseem Mishra), a lilting music score (Pritam) and some riveting performances. Both Ajay Devgn and Emraan Hashmi breathe fire and brimstone in to their portrayal of the two disparate gangsters and come up with two of the most mesmeric acts of the year, while Kangna Ranaut and Prachi Desai pitch in as perfect and picturesque molls. Add to this an in-rom ensemble cast which includes principled cop Randeep Hooda and loyal Sultan aide, Naved Ahmad (both are extremely watchable) and you have an entire catwalk of flesh and blood characters in a cinema that is generally peopled with cardboard cut-outs.