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Emraan Hashmi's 10 Best Performances
Some actors struggle with a preset image till they're recognised for their talent.
Emraan Hashmi showed potential in his debut but his reputation as a serial kisser aided by intimate scenes with all his co-stars made more noise instead.
Finally, the actor admits, he got 'tired of kissing on screen' and wanted to concentrate on meaty roles. The last few years have seen a noteworthy ascent in his acting and choice of roles.
With his charismatic delivery in his latest, Ek Thi Daayan, Hashmi proves he has truly arrived. Here's looking at 10 of his best performances.
Ek Thi Daayan
Though dominated by three heroines, for once an Emraan Hashmi starrer is not about sex. In this supernatural drama about witches, he plays a successful magician who is traumatised by his past.
The actor shows his growth by lending layers to a character that demands depth, vulnerability and mystery. All the more commendable considering he's called 'Bobo' in the movie.
Footpath (2003)
In his acting debut, Hashmi made a mark as the drug peddling Raghu who wants to give up his criminal lifestyle and settle down with a school teacher.
The State of Grace rip-off didn't do particularly well at the box office but filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt's nephew made it clear he's here to stay.
Read the review here
Kalyug
While he became a star on the strength of his smooching skills, Hashmi ensured he lends himself some credibility time to time.
And that explains a meaty supporting role in Kalyug, which loosely explores the workings of the pornographic industry. As the sleazy Ali Bhai with a heart of gold assisting the hero (Kunal Khemu in his adult debut) in his retribution, EH is surprisingly solid.
Jannat
In the classic tale of greed and destruction, Hashmi plays a match fixer engaging in all kinds of frauds to make fast cash. How it eventually ruins his personal life is what the drama with a breezy soundtrack is all about.
Despite the predictability of it all, Hashmi's roguish grin and flaky manners make it work.
Gangster
Besides a stirring soundtrack, Kangna Ranaut's glorious debut and absorbing narrative, Anurag Basu scored by extracting a restrained actor out of Hashmi.
From a lounge singer to undercover cop, Hashmi makes a sly switch from smitten to self-seeking in the deftly executed Gangster.
Awarapan
Besides great songs, Awarapan boasts of a proficient, long-haired Emraan Hashmi as the brooding right hand of a ruthless criminal in the same year he delivered two turkeys – Good Boy Bad Boy and The Train.
The film serves well to document his poetic romance gone tragic and his struggle to reconcile and our man doesn't disappoint.
Tum Mile
It's unfortunate how one of Hashmi's better romantic films is so grossly overlooked. Set against the backdrop of Mumbai's infamous rainfall (July 26, 2005), the narrative travels back and forth to reveal the strained ties between him and Soha Ali Khan.
Their sparkling chemistry and his subtle portrayal in this engaging flick is yet another attempt from the actor to keep things interesting.
Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai
Ajay Devgn's intensity is undisputed and he's especially effective as the sharp yet composed underworld don with a bag of punch lines in Milan Luthria's 1970s-themed OUATIM.
Challenging him in this retro set-up is Hashmi's boorish and ambitious Shoaib. It's been a steady rise for the Murder star since.
The Dirty Picture
The Dirty Picture centres around three things -- Vidya Balan, Vidya Balan and Vidya Balan.
And while the actress walked off with all the accolades for her dynamic delivery as Silk, Hashmi does quite well for himself in the brief role of a bitter writer. In addition, he gets to mouth some of its most hit dialogues.
Read the review here
Shanghai
Reserving the best for Dibakar Banerjee's Shanghai, the actor hit a high note with his superlative conviction as the naive videographer of seedy sex films -- Joginder Parmar and eyewitness to a political scandal in the adaptation of Vassilis Vassilikos's Z.
Shanghai earned him unanimous acclaim and previously denied respectability from all sections of the press and audience.