Emraan Hashmi is not in the Rs 100 crore race and doesn’t watch his own movies. In a freewheeling chat with Karan Bhardwaj, he talks about his his career, his foray into international cinema
Mobbing has never been a pleasant experience for Bollywood actors but for Emraan Hashmi, it’s fun. In fact, he gets so excited that he ‘jumps’ on his fans. Recently in the city to promote his latest, Raja Natwarlal, Hashmi was mobbed by his fans in Karol Bagh area. An hour later, sitting in his room at le Meridian hotel, he tells us, “If you are not mobbed, then there’s a genuine problem. I love it.” In this freewheeling conversation, he opens up on being extrovert but not opening up to actors in Bollywood, choosing not to watch his own films, leave alone work of his contemporaries.
In a decade long career, you have managed to put a decent mix of films, commercial and critically-acclaimed. Are you contentedIJ
So far so good. I am contented with the kind of films I have done and which are coming my way. There’s an interesting lot coming up. I am excited that I have been able to break the clutter with each of my movie and could surprise my audience. Directors have put faith in me which is why I could pull off unique characters.
You call your cinema ‘parallel mainstream’. The characters that you have played have been unconventional yet coherent...
Honestly, I don’t watch Hindi movies, so I don’t relate with them. No one in the industry do the kind of cinema I do. My films are sensual, noir, erotica, romance, thrillers yet they are not over dramatic. But that’s how I comprehend cinema. I have a major problem with theatrical key that most of our cinema has. I cannot overplay, I find that buffoonery.
But you are not seen as a family actor...
Kisses on screen don’t mean that the family audience cannot watch my movies. If a film is inherently bold, shocking and has titillation, then families have a reason to stay away. But my films are intelligent and have lots of positivity which the audience wants. Kisses are done where they are needed. My cinema is not vulgar, it is bold. Raja Natwarlal is a family film but has kisses. Our society is evolving and I am glad I am part of that evolution.
Why did you stop watching Hindi moviesIJ
Maybe I saw the wrong ones in the 90s, so I stopped watching them. I used to attend previews of films made by Bhatts. I paid for a few movies, went to theatre and got depressed. I have grown up on Western movies. I have also liked work of Dilip Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan. It’s bizarre to understand why I dislike Hindi movies but possibly that’s the reason why my movies stand out.
You started to experiment three years back. Were you bored of being typecastIJ
For the first six years of my career, I was seen as a guy who only did erotic thrillers. Then came movies like Once Upon A Time In Mumbai, Shanghai and Ek Thi Daayan which broke that stereotype. I strive to continue with movies that challenge me and keep me away from any bracket. Having said that, I don’t wish to make something drastically different which no one could relate to. My films have dialogue baazi, songs and kisses, I cannot live without these elements. In frame of this, I try to do something different.
Your international project is being discussed for a long time. What’s happening on that frontIJ
That’s very interesting. We kept it under wraps deliberately because it’s controversial and we needed a roadmap to go ahead with it. In couple of days, we are going to make a formal announcement about the movie.
A lot of actors choose not to work with Vidya Balan, mostly because she outperforms others. You seem to enjoy sharing screen space with her.
She has got a great body of work. The Dirty Picture is a great example of her calibre. People like watching us on screen. We enjoy working together.
The Rs 100 crore revenue is now the new benchmark of success in Bollywood. Do you aspire to enter into this clubIJ
I am running my own race. I find this Rs 100 crore ultra moronic. Most of these earners are so trashy, they are made up on marketing steam and these movies evaporate from your conscious in just five days. What kind of success is thisIJ My film may mint Rs 30 crore but they are much better. Trade doesn’t drive me. There will always be noise around you but if your product is better, it will stand out. I am extremely competitive as a person but I compete with myself, my own films.
Tell us about your forthcoming projects.
There’s Mr X. It’s a 3D movie about a superhero. He becomes invisible and takes on dark forces. He’s a dark superhero. I am in the last leg of shooting. Then there is Ungli.
Why don’t you befriend with your contemporariesIJ
I am not an introvert but I have chosen not to make friends in Bollywood. You claim you have so many friends here but the fact is that you can never make friends in showbiz. I just work with people, move on and share good working rapport. In my dictionary, friend is a person who sticks by you even after 15-20 years, which is not the case here. I cannot be actors’ friends. I am very competitive. They are my competition.
Are you a director’s actorIJ
I always give my suggestions. There’s a creative participation with my directors. I don’t thrust upon my opinion after a point when I think it’s wrong or people are not willing to accept it. But an actor always has a say. I don’t participate in movies where directors say, ‘It’s my highway or the highway.’