Bollywood’s serial kisser, Emraan Hashmi, is finally having a release this year with Jannat. Hashemi didn’t taste much success in 2007 as surprisingly none of his releases — Good Boy Bad Boy, The Train and Awarappan — worked at the box office.
But on a positive note, Hashmi delivered his career best performance in Awarappan, where his acting skills received all the media attention for a change, or else it is usually his onscreen smooches and fabulous soundtracks that hogs the limelight in his films.
With Jannat, Hashmi seems to have got all the elements right as he believes he has got a fabulous role in a novel storyline along with chartbusting music, and yes, he also delivers some passionate smooches in the film.
Excerpts from the interview:
Were you terribly disappointed with Awarappan?
Oh yes, I was very disappointed with Awarappan’s failure as I was really expecting the film to be a big hit. Actually, most of the people who saw the film appreciated it and maybe we should have scheduled our release a bit later, avoiding the clash with Apne and Aap Kaa Suroor. It would have also given the music of the film some more time to grow on the listeners.
Nevertheless, I received tremendous appreciation from everyone and it has given me a new image and status in the industry. I am confident Jannat will only go on to help me establish with my acting prowess.
What’s your character in Jannat all about?
I play a small-time gambler starting from the streets of Mumbai to become a bookie. He later joins a match-fixing nexus. Actually, he has an interesting quality — he can predict cricket match results. He is ambitious and wants to make quick money which leads him to be involved in match-fixing.
The film has cricket as its background and looks at the murky side of the game. In between all this there is a nice love story going on and he comes to a situation where he has to choose either the big bucks or his love life. I am extremely happy with the way my character has shaped up in the film. I believe it’s the perfect follow-up to my role in Awarappan.
Did you get in touch with real bookies or real life characters for the role in the film?
I think the film’s content was well-researched and it is based on Tehelka’s book, Fallen Heroes. So I had to follow my director’s (Kunal Deshmukh) vision. We interacted with few people from the world of cricket to get some insights and in fact, Shoaib Akhtar [Pakistani fast bowler] told us about his experience of being approached by bookies to under-perform and how he refused them.
We have avoided any direct references and we just wanted to show what happens behind the scenes during such match-fixing. I believe such a subject has not been dealt earlier in Bollywood and that makes it a novel experience for the viewers.
What do you have to say about the ongoing Indian Premiere League (IPL)?
I am not a major cricket fan but I have followed the matches in IPL. I think the concept has worked big time as it has attracted huge audience, who are entertained with non-stop cricket action, along with some music and dance.
Jannat’s music has topped the charts. Have you discovered the secret formula for your films’ consistent fabulous musical scores?
(Laughs) Actually, there is no such formula and I can consider myself lucky to have such great music in my films. On a serious note, I have worked with talented music directors and new singers such as Atif Aslam and Kunal Ganjawala, who are always enthusiastic to give their best and something different. Once again, Pritam has given a fabulous score in Jannat and all songs are really good and suit the situation in the film.
What do you have to say about your new heroine, Sonal Chauhan who is making her debut?
I think she is a very good actress and has done a really good job for her first film.
You had taken a vow that you would not smooch onscreen after marriage, but you reverted back to those famous kisses in The Train and now in Jannat. Can’t resist it?
I broke this promise and definitely my wife isn’t happy about it. Actually, I try my best to avoid these kissing sequences but my producers or directors literally force me to do these scenes, either to please my fans or convince me that it is an integral part of the script.
Well, I hope to stick to some serious acting in the future and I am sure that should please my wife — who loved me in Awarappan, where I didn’t have a kissing sequence.
