MUMBAI:Emraan Hasmi might have just been 23 years and a film old when Anurag Basu made him the bad man in the sultry fest ‘Murder’. But it’s been a long journey since then for Emraan Hashmi, but the actor still credits ‘Murder’ for his success.
Emraan was launched by his uncle Mahesh Bhatt in a film called ‘Footpath’, which sank without a trace although his acting was noted. But it was ‘Murder’ and Emraan’s scenes with Mallika Sherawat which made headlines when it released. A remake of the Hollywood flick ‘Unfaithful’, ‘Murder’ was a perfect erotic thriller to release in Bollywood.
Years later, the actor recounts his experience and says, “I was an actor taking orders, without any thought of changing Hindi cinema.” Never expected that ‘Murder’ would become a brand, he added.
Emraan Hashmi didn’t shy away from laughing about an incident during the filming of the song ‘Bheege Hont Tere’. He said, he and Mallika were shooting the song in Bangkok, and both in all sexiness were lying on the parapet of a seventh-floor apartment. When Emraan used to get up between the shots, bare-chested and wrapped in a towel, someone spotted him and spread the word that a porn film was being shot! With the song blaring and permissions sorted, Emraan Hashmi even now laughs about that incident.
The actor, though played a part in ‘Murder 2’, he wasn’t seen in the third part of the film. On being questioned, will he return for the fourth part, Emraan Hashmi just plainly puts forward his thought: “I could change my mind tomorrow, but today I believe that a franchisee should only be a trilogy. There could be a ‘Murder’ 4, 5, or 6 but right now I don’t see myself in them.”
He also states that rip-offs and remakes are quite common in Bollywood and one shouldn’t be bothered. At the end, he acknowledges that ‘Murder’ was his first superhit.
‘Murder’ did change Emraan Hashmi’s fortunes as an actor and gave him the tag of ‘serial kisser’. Can Bollywood ever forget that? With hit films like ‘The Dirty Picture’ also to his credit, Emraan Hashmi will now be seen in Rensil D’Silva’s ‘Ungli’.
Incidentally the film also stars Randeep Hooda, who replaced him in ‘Murder 3’. It will be interesting to see the lads on screen with a trademark film to their name. Who’s better, time will say!
