Emraan Hashmi Opens Up on Breaking Free from ‘Serial Kisser’ Image

Emraan Hashmi is in the news currently for his recently launched series, 'Taskari: The Smugglers' Web.' Directed by Neeraj Pandey, in this series, Emraan Hashmi plays a customs officer. At the same time, Emraan Hashmi is also talking about his reputation of being a serial kisser and lover boy, and how he is trying to come out of it.

In an interview with Hindustan Times, Emraan Hashmi spoke about being typecast. He said that there's no single role; it's never one. It's always a journey. Films like "Shanghai" and "Tiger 3" played a significant role in changing people's perception of him. In a way, "Jannat" broke this image, as did "Once Upon a Time in Mumbai." So, it wasn't the result of a single film, but rather the result of several films.

Recalling the criticism he received early in his career, Emraan said he didn't take it as a mistake. "I wouldn't say the critics were wrong. They had their own opinions about films, but I knew I could do it. So I responded by saying, 'I can make a film like Shanghai.' So if you say I can only do one kind of film, then with a director like Dibakar Banerjee, I can do it. So, it was a matter of proving something, not just myself."

Emraan Hashmi appeared in Aryan Khan's show "The Bads of Bollywood" as himself, and after that, he went viral. Regarding whether this had any impact on his career, he said, "I don't really know what impact it will have on me. But it's very difficult to remain relevant. When you're 35-40 years old, a new audience emerges. When a film like 'The Baddies of Bollywood' comes out, it becomes the voice of Generation Z. These are people who probably haven't seen my films. They've heard the songs, seen something on Instagram, maybe even seen some videos. It's just that they connect with it, then want to know more about this guy because this one scene fits so perfectly. Then, somewhere, the entire audience starts watching."

Speaking about going viral in the digital age, Emraan said, "I don't understand this thing called virality. I don't know how it works. It can't be manufactured. That's the real deal. Yes, a lot of things are manufactured. You can buy anything on Instagram now, but that's amazing." This is something that has no price.

On the work front, Emraan Hashmi recently appeared in Neeraj Pandey's web series "Taskari: The Smugglers' Web." It is an action-crime thriller, co-starring Sharad Kelkar in the lead role. Emraan Hashmi plays a customs officer in the series. Previously, he appeared in the film "Haq," released last year.