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Hashmi honestly

As the boy turns a man with `Gangster,' ANUJ KUMAR finds out what makes Emraan Hashmi tick

NO CHOCOLATGE HERO Emraan Hashmi

Emraan Hashmi's rise at the box-office is a case study in the making of a common man's star. Known more as the monkey-faced serial kisser, the brash boy is making cash registers ring with films that make money. Is it just the kiss, or the irreverence he exudes, or is it a combination of the two? Says Emraan, "When `Murder' happened, people criticised it saying that it won't appeal to the sensibilities of the common man. It did. Kissing is no longer a taboo for youngsters and my character represented the irreverence and rebellious attitude that is setting in, in urban youth today. But to say that kissing was the only factor responsible for my rise is not right. I believe a film has to have more than one USP to work."

Different position

Emraan says that he has positioned himself differently from his first film, `Footpath.'

"I didn't want to be another chocolate hero. I picked on characters, which were grey but not villains. One might not agree, but each character had its strong point of view. Without sounding immodest, I must say that the industry is full of insecure actors. Nobody would agree to play a second fiddle to a rank newcomer, which I did in `Kalyug.'"

Something he has done again in `Gangster.' "Yes, but here for a change I am playing a positive role."

He says till date he has played young, fast and furious roles.

"Here Akash is mature and mellow. The film is a triangle but the gangster angle provides the element of thrill, which takes the subject to a new high."

Image change

He has sported spectacles too.

"Every time I get tired of my face, I wear them," he smiles. One of the USPs that has worked in Emraan's favour is the music. Irrespective of the box office result, the music of his each and every film has been a chartbuster.

"It is a happy coincidence. `Gangster' also has great music by Pritam. My personal favourite is `Ya Ali'."

The promos show Akash moving to the song. Earlier he played Ali in Kalyug.

"Yes, I am looking for a Muslim audience base. In the past all the three Khans have utilised it to their advantage."

The film has allegedly his last kiss scene as well.

"Yes, I have enough of it. I didn't want to do it but Anurag Basu explained that it's integral to the script. It is an underwater scene that took us an entire night to shoot, but it would last for hardly a few seconds on the screen."

He denies his engagement has made him change his image.

"I know Parveen from childhood. She was always averse to such scenes. Now she has learnt that we have to cater to the public what it wants. I am 26, I want to play characters that are closer to my age."

He continues, "This doesn't mean I would deny my fans what they expect of me." Up next is `Good Boy Bad Boy,' a Subhash Ghai production, where Emraan is obviously the bad boy.

"There are `Killer' and `Awarapan' in the pipeline too."

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