The following year , Hashmi featured in Milan Luthria 's period action-drama '' Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai '' with an ensemble cast including Ajay Devgan , Randeep Hooda , Kangana Ranaut and Prachi Desai . The picture , which depicted the rise of organised crime in Mumbai , saw Hashmi play Shoaib Khan , a character inspired by real-life gangster Dawood Ibrahim . With a domestic revenue of over , '' Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai '' emerged as a hit , and received a positive critical reception . For his performance , Hashmi earned positive reviews from critics and received a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the 56th Filmfare Awards . Blessy Chettiar of '' Daily News and Analysis '' described him as " top class " . Komal Nahta remarked : " This is easily Emraan 's best performance so far . If he is cute in the romantic scenes , he is believably tough in the action and dramatic scenes . " His next release was Mohit Suri 's action-thriller '' Crook '' , based on the violence against Indians in Australia controversy . However , the film performed poorly and was panned by critics
56th Filmfare Awards
56th Filmfare Awards
Emraan Hashmi