By Hindustan Times
The location is pretty exclusive. It’s the gorgeous boulevard where two of Bollywood’s most illustrious families — Dilip Kumar and the late Sunil Dutt’s family — reside. Between these two bungalows is Reshma building, home to Bollywood’s rising star, Emraan Hashmi.
The building, which have been Emraan’s residence for the last 30 years, is well-known within the area, but way to his legendary neighbours, it's still inconspicuous. Not that Emraan lacks a lineage of his own. Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt are his uncles and Emraan is a celebrity in his own right, a part of films produced not just by his family, but in addition people like Karan Johar and Ekta Kapoor. Once referred to as ‘the serial kisser’ as a result of his penchant for somewhat risqué movies, he’s now being seen as a significant actor, with films like Ek Thi Daayan, Ghanchakkar and Ungli in hand, plus a film with Danis Tanovic, the director of the 2001 Oscar-winning film, No Man’s Land.
How did this alteration happen? Over to Emraan. Are you enjoying your new kiss… to success, I mean?
It started out as an inept peck and now it’s become a full-blown French kiss! Yes, I'M enjoying my new success.
Why did you need to become a film star?
I desired to be famous and do good work. More importantly, I expected some huge cash. I didn’t know the opposite implications.
Did you ever interact along with your immediate neighbours, Dilip Kumar and Sanjay Dutt?
I search for to them, but there has been never much interaction. Although I USED TO BE from a movie family, I remained pretty disconnected from the entire filmi jazz. Though my uncles were within the business, I hadn’t been on a movie set before I BEGAN assisting them. It was an unfamiliar world that I had only seen in movies in theatres or on DVDs. Therefore my interactions were limited on this regard.
You were called the one-man-industry of medium budget films, mostly made by your uncles’ company, Vishesh Films. But now that you've got stepped out, the battlefield is bigger, with much more players. Are you ready?
I don’t see myself competing with any of them. I'VE different ideologies. There are particular similarities between the industry and me relating to functioning, but on the same time, I'VE my very own set of pronounced rules that I abide by. If I do what everyone does, then I won’t be capable to do anything different. There are lots of rules that I don’t abide by, don’t understand and don’t wish to follow.
Please explain.
Everyone from the industry perspective desires to play by the familiar melody; individuals are chasing a wonder figure — the Rs. 100/200 crore club. And while you chase that, you can't take risks. The more you're in that race, the more formulaic and uni-dimensional you get. Having said this, I also wish to chase figures by doing a little formulaic films, but on the same time, I also need to do a definite parallel to mainstream more or less cinema that changes the terrain. I CAN always take risks as they have got always paid out in my career. So IT'S NOT THAT I AM competing. That may be my point.
How’s the view from the top?
It’s a good view, but there’s always a greater view as there are lots more levels to climb. It’s far to the moon.
But I'M enjoying my journey, it’s fun. I'VE realised that I'VE reached a definite point in my career where I WILL start doing things that I WISHED to do and steer my career whichever way I WOULD LIKE. The selections you get to make at this stage are something I always wanted, in comparison to five years back, when even if the efforts were the same, the selections were limited. Honestly, I don’t know which level I'M on presently. Lots has changed since I BEGAN. However the fear of failure continues to be strong in me.
A sign at the present time of getting arrived in Bollywood is a lot of endorsements. What do you are saying to that?
People with a rom-com image get more endorsements. I haven’t done the normal running around trees or the
chocolate boy romance. And that i cannot soak up just any offer that involves me. Up to now I USED TO BE inundated with offers for lip balms and condoms. I didn’t do all of them. those were due to the films I USED TO BE doing.
But so much has changed within the last seven years. I DO KNOW endorsements are great and straightforward money. It’s just two-three days of labor and also you get huge money. But in my case there’s no particular desperation, although I'M open to endorsing an excellent and solid product.
Where do you slot at the tree of actors starting from their twenties to the established forties?
Can I say IT'S NOT THAT I AM in this tree? I SELECT to be the outsider doing my very own stuff.
Certain ingredients and dishes has been doled out for the reason that last TWO DECADES for the actors who're now of their forties, and people has been their cinematic beliefs. But now this set of actors has run their race and can move on. Cinema will see an enormous change when the brand new bunch takes over. The rage has already begun. This new lot, with their educational background and taste for a unique more or less cinema, will definitely herald a cinematic revolution.
I see a major change within the coming four years to start with, and that i need to be a part of this big change of doing something unique, which might be mainstream or experimental. It’s a good time for the industry. Tastes are changing. Very soon, a movie like Shanghai turns into mainstream.
Do you call yourself an actor or a star?
There’s a difference between an actor and a celebrity. An actor reads the script and changes himself to evolve to it. A CELEB takes the script and sees how he should change it in order that it suits him.
I am a little bit both. I'VE done a movie like Shanghai where I changed myself to evolve to the script. It was highly exhausting. Then I'VE also been the star and played to the gallery in most of my movies. I'VE steadily made that vary. Now I don’t wish to be a one-dimensional star. I BELIEVE acting is very recommended, stardom isn’t. There’s more satisfaction to acting than to stardom. But I HAVE TO do both as I HAVE TO keep my house running.
What is the fee you paid for this stardom?
There were things I'LL do 15 years ago that I CAN'T do now. I MAY easily walk to the shop down the lane, sit with friends and feature a talk. Goa was once an enormous hangout for me. I'VE had endless parties there. Now I LOCATE myself the article of attention, which isn't quite welcome, especially after I am within the mood for an outing.
Maybe I'M REALLY NOT entirely pleased with the theory of being famous. Maybe it’s not what I ASSUMED it was. In spite of this though, IT'S NOT THAT I AM cribbing. If I had the danger to return and select my journey again, I'D still choose this journey.
Living round the corner to him, did you never stumble upon Sanjay Dutt whilst you were young?
He’s worked with my grandmom in a film called Naam (1986) where she played his grandmom. Her name was Purnima Verma. She had introduced me to Sanju. I vividly remember the 1993 riots once I was in standard eight. All of us got together at Sanju’s bungalow and filled sacks with rice that was to be distributed amongst those suffering from the riots.
Now Sanju and that i are working together in Renzil D’Souza’s Ungli. It’s very surreal for me. I never even dreamed about it. He’s been very sweet and invited me to his gym. I'M so tousled with work now, I haven’t had an opportunity to go to him. Undoubtedly he’s an excellent guy.
Was your kiss-my-heroine policy pre-planned? All of it looked pretty effortless.
I don’t think any massive thinking went into it. I HAVE TO have done 100 kisses thus far! And, yes, I'VE an overly mechanical way to it. Individuals who think I'M comfortable kissing have to be out in their heads. Acting is weird anyway, after which to do something so private in front of such a lot of people is weirder.
I am not pleased with kissing on screen, but I make it seem effortless. But it’s still unnerving. I'VE grown up watching Hollywood movies and, when you have ever interacted with my family, you are going to know that they're not that orthodox. So it was shocking for me to be told that individuals are shocked after I kiss.
Your past successes has been greatly music driven. Now that you've got moved from your safety zone and brought up work with other directors, will you continue to depend on great music?
Music is undoubtedly an excellent asset to a movie, but that alone cannot pull it. I pick up a film as a result of an ideal story. I don’t hear the music or songs of the film once I sit to listen to the script. Sometimes, the songs come to me an afternoon before we shoot.
It simply so happened that I got great songs! In fact, there’s pressure at the music directors to offer the most productive. So in my films, just because the kiss is an integral part, music is and can always remain the most important part. My producers understand the market better than I do.
Tell us something about your film with Danis Tanovic.
Contrary to popular belief, I don’t have an agent in Hollywood. It’s a thrilling film that Anurag Kashyap got me. I got a choice from him saying I should read the script as he felt I'D fit in.
Do you may have any say within the selection of your heroines?
The collection of actresses doesn’t feature into my top ten priorities. IT'S NOT THAT I AM saying there is not any talent out there, I'M just saying that for me, everything starts and ends with an ideal story. Everything else is all value-added components within the film.
In any case, casting is entirely the filmmakers’ department. I SELECT to not give inputs on this department as director ko laagega ki (the director will feel) I NEED to kiss that girl. It’s highly controversial.
You are doing a global film and, as all of us know, Hollywood demands greater than only a kiss. Love-making scenes are a part of their movie culture…
I don’t think I'M ready for love-making scenes the Hollywood way. As liberal as I am, it doesn’t transcend this for me. And because it is, I don’t know what Danis’s (Tanovic) film is all about! IT'S NOT THAT I AM playing to a picture in Hollywood — people have no idea me there. For all you know, this film is usually a reinvention for me altogether.
