Initially, he was not accepted by everyone but all that has changed now. He also lay low and let his movies do the talking at the ticket counter. And, today, he’s among the few actors whose movies are guaranteed an opening simply because his name tops the credits. The man who changed the way filmmakers and the audience perceived him, Emraan Hashmi, in conversation with Vajir Singh
There was talk that you would not work with Vishesh Films. Before that, you had said you would never work with Vikram Bhatt. So how did Raaz 3 happen?
Who said I would not work with Vikram Bhatt? I was working with Vishesh Films and they had not worked with Vikram for five to six years, as all was not well between them. But that was sorted and Vikram came back to the company with Raaz 3.
It is wonderful that Vikram came back on board with the third part. After all, it was the franchise he started, in the first place. I admire him as a director as he directed my first film, Footpath. I have always wanted to work with him but, unfortunately, there was a fallout between him and Vishesh Films.
Most A-list actors avoid doing horror films but you have done both Raaz 2 and 3.
Actors generally approach a script in one of two ways. Let’s say in the last 20 years, horror films have never really bombed as a genre. Some say, action film chal rahi hai toh woh karenge. I don’t do that. I react to a script per se. If I find the story interesting, I say yes.
Did you sign on for Raaz 3 for the script or Vikram Bhatt or Vishesh Films?
Everything. It’s not always one thing. It’s the script to begin with. And sometimes you have an emotional connect with the director. Along with that, you need to have a company that markets and packages the film well. So it has to be a combination of all three. Vishesh Films understands edgy, gritty films and they are very good with them. Producer, director, script and obviously other elements like music, which come in later. But, for me, the character is the deciding factor.
Earlier you worked mainly with Vishesh Films, not so much with other directors. Why has that changed?
I wasn’t getting many interesting films from other directors. Maybe they didn’t understand the kind of films I was doing. You could literally count the number of erotic thrillers because only a few directors were making them. There were family films too, drama, action and comedy but only a few erotic thrillers even though these movies worked. And I don’t know why but they could visualise me in these films only and weren’t sure whether I would suit comedy, action or other genres. But the film that changed it all for me was Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai, after which a few filmmakers slowly started approaching me with different subjects. Perhaps they assumed I was working only with Vishesh Films and was limited as an actor, who could do only erotic thrillers. But my character in Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai broke that myth.
I started getting a lot of offers, the kind that were irresistible. So Dibaker (Banerjee) came to me and Raj (Rajkumar Gupta) came to me. For Dayan, Vishal Bhardwaj came to me and Karan Johar for Ungli. I couldn’t refuse such films as they had phenomenal scripts.
Was it difficult to change their perception?
Yes. Very difficult. To be honest, I never wanted to become an actor. It took me four to five years to learn the ropes. But I didn’t want to fall into the trap that other actors were caught in. I wanted to take risks and would invariably accept films I was advised against, of course, if I liked the script. I was accepted by a huge slice of the audience, mainly the single-screen audience. Perceptions change automatically. You do different roles that cater to a different audience. You understand what films work with single-screens and what films are meant for multiplexes. You keep it as wide open as possible.
The trade always believed Emraan Hashmi was a successful actor. Why did the filmmakers take so long to realise that?
Again, they probably felt I was limited as an actor. When you do films like Zeher, Raaz, Jannat and Murder, you work with one camp. So filmmakers outside that camp don’t want to take a chance on you. But, then, someone did take a chance and cast me in a different avatar. And it worked. Every new filmmaker I worked with presented a new side of me to the audience. You can’t build a brand overnight.
Are you aware that now most filmmakers don’t approach you because they assume you don’t have dates to assign for the next two to three years?
(Smiles) They are probably right. But not two to three years. And it’s not that I am not getting offers. I try to meet as many people as I can. But the market knows I have three films and cannot start another for a while.
Don’t you think Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai 2 should feature you in it?
You see, it is their franchise and they have every right to do whatever they want with it. It is up to Milan (Luthria) to decide what he wants to do with the character. Even after 15 to 20 years, if I wear a white beard, I would look like a buffoon in that role. You need a mature guy to play the part. You need an older actor to make the audience believe the character has aged to make the sequel work.
Currently, sequels are working at the box office, and you have lost out on two sequels, Murder 2 and Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai.
I have done so many franchise films that I am bored with them. Everyone is doing these films now, but I have already done them – Raaz 2, Murder 2, Jannat 2. I think that’s pretty much it for now.
Before Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai, did you worry about being typecast?
I didn’t worry about being typecast; I thought my career would end. I had delivered four back-to-back flops and, Awarapan, which I had worked on for a year, had failed. Thankfully, I received a new lease of life when Jannat released and it was a hit. It taught me not to take anything for granted and not to be complacent. It could well mean the end of my career.
Even before Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai, your films did well at the ticket counter.
Yes. And the trade supported me. However, filmmakers felt I was a limited actor. “He is Bhatt boy.” Everyone said I was a fluke, they said iske wajah se film nahi chal rahi hai, sex ke wajah se chal rahi hai. Phir Jannat hit ho jata hai then they said cricket ki wajah se chal rahi hai. Music ke wajah se chal rahi hai, Himesh Reshammiya ke wajah se chal rahi hai, singer Atif ke wajah se chal rahi hai, because I didn’t look like a conventional hero. I didn’t dance, I underplayed my characters, and I wasn’t overacting like the rest of the industry. But they realised I could act when the numbers started to come in at the ticket counter.
Do you follow box-office numbers?
Yes. It is important that everyone down the value chain recover the money they invested in the film. Sometimes, a filmmaker offers you three times what it’s worth because they want to start a film with you. But the price then escalates. I would rather do a film that has a much wider range and goes to many more cities and has a bigger audience.
My remuneration and a film’s budget should not stand in the way of the producer making a profit. Yes, numbers matter. I knew Shanghai would not do the business that Jannat did. I knew it would go only so far at the box office so I reduced my remuneration for that film. People said, “Opening nahin mili”. Many people didn’t know that we all reduced our remuneration for that film, so PVR didn’t lose any money. We felt it was a story that needed to be told and we knew it would have a limited draw at the box office.
Did you expect Shanghai to earn much more than it actually did?
I was hoping Shanghai would do phenomenally well. But then, if you shop for an orange, you won’t get a mango, you will get only what you bargained for. Shanghai is the reality of India and people don’t want to face it. 95 per cent people in India are escapists. They want to watch romance and some want to see the hero beat up the bad guy. I worked really hard on Shanghai and I accomplished something with that film. It made me think, “Oh, I can do this too.” I was part of a great film, with a great director. I did it also because 95 per cent of actors would not have done that film.
You are not a very visible star beyond your films. You do not endorse
products; you’re not on Facebook or Twitter.
I was on Twitter for a week and I found it very boring. It’s a trend people are following and I didn’t like it. Unless it’s for my film, I don’t attend film parties. I like to share only what I am comfortable with. My family doesn’t like being written about. My wife doesn’t like being written about. We live a private life. I need to be out there when I am promoting a film. So I push myself and go out.
Why aren’t you endorsing products?
I am endorsing a deodrant brand. Two years ago, I couldn’t endorse anything but a condom and a lip balm as these products gelled with the films I was doing. Thankfully, with the films I am now doing, more people are approaching me. So I am now endorsing a deo. (Laughs)
Will we see you hosting a chat show?
I don’t watch too much TV but if it’s a new concept, why not?
There was talk that you would not work with Vishesh Films. Before that, you had said you would never work with Vikram Bhatt. So how did Raaz 3 happen?
Who said I would not work with Vikram Bhatt? I was working with Vishesh Films and they had not worked with Vikram for five to six years, as all was not well between them. But that was sorted and Vikram came back to the company with Raaz 3.
It is wonderful that Vikram came back on board with the third part. After all, it was the franchise he started, in the first place. I admire him as a director as he directed my first film, Footpath. I have always wanted to work with him but, unfortunately, there was a fallout between him and Vishesh Films.
Most A-list actors avoid doing horror films but you have done both Raaz 2 and 3.
Actors generally approach a script in one of two ways. Let’s say in the last 20 years, horror films have never really bombed as a genre. Some say, action film chal rahi hai toh woh karenge. I don’t do that. I react to a script per se. If I find the story interesting, I say yes.
Did you sign on for Raaz 3 for the script or Vikram Bhatt or Vishesh Films?
Everything. It’s not always one thing. It’s the script to begin with. And sometimes you have an emotional connect with the director. Along with that, you need to have a company that markets and packages the film well. So it has to be a combination of all three. Vishesh Films understands edgy, gritty films and they are very good with them. Producer, director, script and obviously other elements like music, which come in later. But, for me, the character is the deciding factor.
Earlier you worked mainly with Vishesh Films, not so much with other directors. Why has that changed?
I wasn’t getting many interesting films from other directors. Maybe they didn’t understand the kind of films I was doing. You could literally count the number of erotic thrillers because only a few directors were making them. There were family films too, drama, action and comedy but only a few erotic thrillers even though these movies worked. And I don’t know why but they could visualise me in these films only and weren’t sure whether I would suit comedy, action or other genres. But the film that changed it all for me was Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai, after which a few filmmakers slowly started approaching me with different subjects. Perhaps they assumed I was working only with Vishesh Films and was limited as an actor, who could do only erotic thrillers. But my character in Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai broke that myth.
I started getting a lot of offers, the kind that were irresistible. So Dibaker (Banerjee) came to me and Raj (Rajkumar Gupta) came to me. For Dayan, Vishal Bhardwaj came to me and Karan Johar for Ungli. I couldn’t refuse such films as they had phenomenal scripts.
Was it difficult to change their perception?
Yes. Very difficult. To be honest, I never wanted to become an actor. It took me four to five years to learn the ropes. But I didn’t want to fall into the trap that other actors were caught in. I wanted to take risks and would invariably accept films I was advised against, of course, if I liked the script. I was accepted by a huge slice of the audience, mainly the single-screen audience. Perceptions change automatically. You do different roles that cater to a different audience. You understand what films work with single-screens and what films are meant for multiplexes. You keep it as wide open as possible.
The trade always believed Emraan Hashmi was a successful actor. Why did the filmmakers take so long to realise that?
Again, they probably felt I was limited as an actor. When you do films like Zeher, Raaz, Jannat and Murder, you work with one camp. So filmmakers outside that camp don’t want to take a chance on you. But, then, someone did take a chance and cast me in a different avatar. And it worked. Every new filmmaker I worked with presented a new side of me to the audience. You can’t build a brand overnight.
Are you aware that now most filmmakers don’t approach you because they assume you don’t have dates to assign for the next two to three years? (Smiles) They are probably right. But not two to three years. And it’s not that I am not getting offers. I try to meet as many people as I can. But the market knows I have three films and cannot start another for a while.
Don’t you think Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai 2 should feature you in it?
You see, it is their franchise and they have every right to do whatever they want with it. It is up to Milan (Luthria) to decide what he wants to do with the character. Even after 15 to 20 years, if I wear a white beard, I would look like a buffoon in that role. You need a mature guy to play the part. You need an older actor to make the audience believe the character has aged to make the sequel work.
Currently, sequels are working at the box office, and you have lost out on two sequels, Murder 2 and Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai.
I have done so many franchise films that I am bored with them. Everyone is doing these films now, but I have already done them – Raaz 2, Murder 2, Jannat 2. I think that’s pretty much it for now.
Before Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai, did you worry about being typecast?
I didn’t worry about being typecast; I thought my career would end. I had delivered four back-to-back flops and, Awarapan, which I had worked on for a year, had failed. Thankfully, I received a new lease of life when Jannat released and it was a hit. It taught me not to take anything for granted and not to be complacent. It could well mean the end of my career.
Even before Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai, your films did well at the ticket counter.
Yes. And the trade supported me. However, filmmakers felt I was a limited actor. “He is Bhatt boy.” Everyone said I was a fluke, they said iske wajah se film nahi chal rahi hai, sex ke wajah se chal rahi hai. Phir Jannat hit ho jata hai then they said cricket ki wajah se chal rahi hai. Music ke wajah se chal rahi hai, Himesh Reshammiya ke wajah se chal rahi hai, singer Atif ke wajah se chal rahi hai, because I didn’t look like a conventional hero. I didn’t dance, I underplayed my characters, and I wasn’t overacting like the rest of the industry. But they realised I could act when the numbers started to come in at the ticket counter.
Do you follow box-office numbers?
Yes. It is important that everyone down the value chain recover the money they invested in the film. Sometimes, a filmmaker offers you three times what it’s worth because they want to start a film with you. But the price then escalates. I would rather do a film that has a much wider range and goes to many more cities and has a bigger audience.
My remuneration and a film’s budget should not stand in the way of the producer making a profit. Yes, numbers matter. I knew Shanghai would not do the business that Jannat did. I knew it would go only so far at the box office so I reduced my remuneration for that film. People said, “Opening nahin mili”. Many people didn’t know that we all reduced our remuneration for that film, so PVR didn’t lose any money. We felt it was a story that needed to be told and we knew it would have a limited draw at the box office.
Did you expect Shanghai to earn much more than it actually did?
I was hoping Shanghai would do phenomenally well. But then, if you shop for an orange, you won’t get a mango, you will get only what you bargained for. Shanghai is the reality of India and people don’t want to face it. 95 per cent people in India are escapists. They want to watch romance and some want to see the hero beat up the bad guy. I worked really hard on Shanghai and I accomplished something with that film. It made me think, “Oh, I can do this too.” I was part of a great film, with a great director. I did it also because 95 per cent of actors would not have done that film.
You are not a very visible star beyond your films. You do not endorse
products; you’re not on Facebook or Twitter.I was on Twitter for a week and I found it very boring. It’s a trend people are following and I didn’t like it. Unless it’s for my film, I don’t attend film parties. I like to share only what I am comfortable with. My family doesn’t like being written about. My wife doesn’t like being written about. We live a private life. I need to be out there when I am promoting a film. So I push myself and go out.
Why aren’t you endorsing products?
I am endorsing a deodrant brand. Two years ago, I couldn’t endorse anything but a condom and a lip balm as these products gelled with the films I was doing. Thankfully, with the films I am now doing, more people are approaching me. So I am now endorsing a deo. (Laughs)
Will we see you hosting a chat show?
I don’t watch too much TV but if it’s a new concept, why not?
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