It Is A Pan-India Film In True Sense: Emraan Hashmi On His Telugu Debut Opposite Pawan Kalyan In 'OG'

He shies away from the spotlight, a no-show at award ceremonies and film soirees, his off-screen elusivity is in stark contrast to the in-your-face accessibility of his counterparts.

In a competitive business such as Bollywood where out of sight often translates as out of mind, Emraan Hashmi has no such aspirations of being constantly seen or talked about, it's all about maintaining his sanity and staying aloof from being a celebrity.

"I'm surviving pretty well. Every actor has their outlook on how they present themselves and the films they do. I have always been asked this question that I only surface around the release of my film, and disappear into the shadows soon after. I like to compartmentalise my life like that. I don't like talking shops and rather my work did the talking. I like keeping it private," the Bollywood actor opens up.

Classified as one of the most underrated actors of our time, Hashmi says it is all about perceptions and the way the audience discerns one's image. His on-screen persona since his breakthrough performance as the calculating love in the 2004 musical thriller 'Murder' followed up by several in the same genre 'Kalyug', 'Jannat,' 'Gangster' was always one of the cool morally flawed characters, who wooed the women with his irresistible charm and serenaded them to songs which became instant chartbusters.

Though he constantly tried to break the image by playing unconventional characters in hits such as 'Raaz, The Mystery', 'The Dirty Picture', 'Once Upon A Time in Mumbai', 'Shanghai' and the recent 'Tiger 3', he acknowledges that it is difficult to break perceptions.

"There are certain things one needs to sell out, to create a perception of being a performer, I have never really given into that. In the public domain perception is also of winning awards, I don't venture there either. A certain image that has been built around you does eclipse certain performances, I was amused how that image of mine as a serial kisser sustained for so long, even when I don't do it, it it comes back. I rather do good films and widen my resume as an actor, and that's all I want."

His last release saw him as the dreaded antagonist Aatish against Salman Khan in the spy thriller 'Tiger 3'. The actor says he is drawn to the lure and intrigue which comes with playing the nemesis."

Antagonists as they are heroes of their narratives, there is a psyche you don't completely understand, their motives have an element of intrigue, and that excited me about Aatish".

The film opened to mixed reviews, and the new box office bench mark's being set up with every release, trade pundits were divided on its status as a hit or mega success. "My only barometer is whether has it made a profit for the producers. This is a film which came with a lot of opposition, and there were many factors at play. You cannot put every film in the same box, if a film does well in terms of collections it is critically bashed.I stay away from all this, there are always opinions either way."

He is all set to play an antagonist yet again, this time in his Telugu debut opposite Pawan Kalyan's gangster in 'OG'. Directed by Sujeeth, the film is an action entertainer set in Mumbai.

"It is an interesting space. It's my first Telugu film, and though it has been made by the Telugu film industry it will come out in multiple languages. It is a pan-India film in the true sense of the word. It has an interesting premise and shot on a huge scale and it should be released by June".

However, he calls the entire debate between North and South cinema as pointless. The need of the hour he says is to think out of the box and get as many actors to make a film. "There was this constant chatter on which industry was doing better. There was Bollywood bashing and we were told to pull our socks since we were delivering duds. But see the phenomenal comebacks this year. These are all Pan India films, we have southern film industry working with Hindi films and vice versa. These days it is difficult to make a theatrical film run, there are so many variables involved to make the audience purchase the ticket. Since OTT is serving a lot more content , so we have to keep rethinking and reinventing."

Having made his digital debut in 2019 with 'Bard of Blood', Emraan Hashmi returns to the space once again as the 'Badshaah' of Bollywood in Karan Johar's fictional series 'Showtime'. The recent teaser of the same has Emraan's character disdainfully chiding that the ones who discuss nepotism are the very ones who want to become the insiders themselves.

Starring an ensemble cast which includes Naseerudin, Shah, and Mouni Roy, the actor remains divulges little. "We are working on it, we cannot give a release date as of now, yes but some secrets will be out."

His 2024 roster also includes the military thriller 'Ground Zero' produced by Farhan Akhtar's Excel Entertainment.