'I'm not comfortable with the 'serial kisser' tag'

Emraan Hashmi's forthcoming movie, Murder 2 is set to release on July 8 and has already run into trouble with the censors for its adult content.

Emraan, who plays the lead role opposite Jacqueline Fernandez, tells Sonil Dedhia why he finds the attitude of the censor board hypocritical and also believes that he is not cut out to be a conventional hero and is irritated when the media highlights his kissing scenes.

The promos of Murder 2 look very seductive and erotic. Are you trying to take the brand to the next level?  

The original worked because of its sensuality and we had to continue with it. Eroticism and sensuality are some of the key components that take the brand ahead.

I don't think with Murder 2 we are taking the meaning of eroticism to the next level; we are in the year 2011 and things like these are true to our times. The story has been changed and no characters have been taken from the original movie.

The censor board has been very strict with your movie. We also hear that some portions have been re-shot because of censorship concerns.

Television has a separate censor board and in a way they are right because there are scenes which are too graphic for the television audience. It is an adult film and it definitely crosses the line for television.

We had to have different cuts or promos for our song Hal-E-Dil and also another song Aa Zaara which is filmed on Yana Gupta but we had to shoot another video with Jacqueline and me.

How would you define Murder 2?

Murder was Anurag Basu's baby. This is Mohit Suri's depiction of the brand. He has taken it to a level where it is fast paced and more thrilling than the previous instalment. The first part explored the story of a middle-aged woman and her extra-marital affair.

With Murder 2, it goes into a very bizarre environment. It takes the audience into the underbelly of society which deals with prostitution and human trafficking.

Your look in the film is completely different from what we have seen before.

Most of your characters have grey shades. Will we ever see you playing a chocolate hero?

I don't think so (smiles). I prefer edgy, dark and intense films. Also, I don't think I look like a chocolate boy and I don't think I fit into that character. There are other people in the industry that can do it far better than I can.

The industry has now become very specific to everyone's territory and what their forte is. When I play grey shades I can explore a lot of different characters.

You have called the censor board a hypocrite.

It started off with my film Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji, which released this year. The film didn't deserve an adult certificate. There was another film which released around the same time which was more graphic than our film, but it still managed to get a U/A certificate. 

I think the censor board needs to revise the way it changes its stand. There should be a panel that knows what they are doing.

Your kisses in your films have always been highlighted, and it often overshadows your character. Does that bother you?

It does bother me. I think it is very unfair for my character in the film or the film itself. I have done different kinds of roles but it's always that one scene that gets highlighted. You can't really focus on just one element.

 A part of the media is also responsible; when they write about it or show it on TV it sells so they have their own agenda. I have never been comfortable with the Serial Kisser tag. It irritates me. I have no issues doing films with sexual content but I don't want to be stereotyped.

What next?

I am currently shooting for Dibaker Banerjee's Shanghai. I am also a part of Milam Luthria's The Dirty Picture, Kunal Deshmukh's Informer. I am also doing Raaz 3.