July 29, 2010 (Sampurn Wire): “Isse kehte hain ghoda’ and so said Sanjay Dutt in Vaastav, a dialogue that has managed a cult status for itself in the decade gone by.

However, it was three decades back when Robert Di Niro did something similar when he got a gun for the first time. In the film Taxi Driver (1976), the iconic dialogue mouthed by the actor was, “You talkin to me?’ For someone who held a gun for the first time in his life, it was an impulsive moment of expression for Robert Di Niro with his classic dialogue.

Now get set to relive the moment in Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai as Emraan Hashmi follows the footsteps of his much senior Hollywood counterpart by holding a gun, which is a replica of the one that Robert Di Niro had held years back.

Informs a source attached to the film, “The gun which Emraan has in the film has been referenced from the classic hit film Taxi Driver and is an exact replica of the same. The first time when Robert Di Niro had got the gun, he had mouthed the famous dialogue that started with “You talkin to me?’ There is something similar in Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai where Emraan’s character of Shoaib Khan too goes through a major transformation once he acquires the gun.”

As has been a known fact, the quote and the scene it was featured become a pop culture icon and turned Robert De Niro into a huge star. In the scene, he had looked into a mirror at himself while imagining a confrontation which would have given him a chance to draw his gun. The entire dialogue that followed went as:

“You talkin to me? You talkin to me? You talkin to me? Then who the hell else are you talkin to? You talkin to me? Well I’m the only one here. Who the f$%k do you think you’re talking to?”

Well, while the gun is definitely making an appearance in Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai, one waits to see if the dialogue too finds a Bollywood translation for itself. Perhaps this is where “Baburao Mast Hai’ may come in handy, right Emraan?

–Joginder Tuteja/Sampurn Wire