Emraan Hashmi

In Bollywood , we playing it too safe

My idea of a villain was that I will only be painted as this dark character

Talking about the switch in Emraan Hashmi career, Emraan says, “People would not have thought of me featuring me in a Salman Khan or Akshay Kumar starrer. They are two different worlds and when they collide, there’s something that sparks off. I think Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai would be one of my first films in that space. It took a lot of convincing on Milan’s (Luthria, director) part to get me to do that part.

I was reluctant because I was playing just the main leads until then. Earlier, my idea of a villain was that he will only be painted as this dark character. But in that film, I played the anti-hero. The same goes with my role in Tiger 3. He is the hero of his own narrative. I wouldn’t like to play a one-toned villain in a film. I am grateful to filmmakers who have realised that and experimented with that. I just go with the flow, and I don’t yearn to do films in a certain genre.”

I do not want to get slotted as a villain

He enjoys playing the antagonist in films, but he does not want to do that repeatedly. He elaborates, “I have done few antagonist roles. I do not want to get slotted in villainous roles. Yes, it is an interesting time to experiment. People are liking the larger-than-life experience in films where two titans are taking on each other.”

We have a lot of things to learn from the way of the south films they were made

Ask him how different it is working in the south film industry, and he says, “I think south filmmakers are way more disciplined than we are (in Hindi cinema). Every penny that they spend on their film shows on screen. I think we often spend money in the wrong areas in Hindi films, and it does not eventually translate on screen. They have finesse in their films when it comes to VFX, the scale and choice of path-breaking stories. We have some ground to cover before we can match that and we have a lot to learn from the way that they make films.”

I never imagined myself getting into the south film industry

Between all the leaps he has been taking as an actor, the biggest plunge is venturing into a pan-India south project. Talking about the film, where he features with Telugu star Pawan Kalyan, he says, “I never imagined myself getting into the south film industry. But it was a fantastic script and a great character. Sujeeth is a great director and is making this film on an enormous canvas.”