Footpath

Emraan Hashmi, the nephew of ace director Mahesh Bhatt, ventured into the Hindi film industry with the role of a supporting actor in Vikram Bhatt’s ‘Footpath’. Despite being appreciated by critics for his portrayal of the role of a gangster in the film, ‘Footpath’ wasn’t able to create a firm foothold for Emraan Hashmi. The film failed to make an impression at the box office, but got Hashmi noticed in Hindi cinema.

Murder

Bold, intimate scenes, a lot of erotica and a thrilling, gripping story at the core of it. The 2004 ‘Murder’ was the actual launch pad for Hashmi in the Hindi film industry. Across Mallika Sherawat, Emraan’s obsessive lover act earned him truckloads of critical acclaim and the film turned out to be a massive commercial success.

The troughs…

After Anurag Basu’s ‘Murder’, Emraan Hashmi worked in a series of films produced by Vishesh Films – under the brothers Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt. Films like ‘Tumsa Nahi Dekha’, ‘Zeher’, ‘Aashiq Banaya Aapne’, ‘Chocolate’, ‘Good Boy Bad Boy’ and so on were all critical and commercial failures and stereotyped Hashmi as the Bhatts’ favourite actor. The actor’s films, however, have mostly been musical successes. Each film has had some number or the other that are still on people’s lips – no matter how many years have elapsed in between!

Jannat

The 2008 crime romance by Kunal Deshmukh re-shot Emraan Hashmi into prominence. Ever since ‘Jannat’ hit the theatres, there’s hardly been any instance where Hashmi has had to look back. Starring across Sonal Chauhan, Emraan’s performance was largely liked by critics and the film turned out to be a huge worldwide success.

Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai

Milan Luthria’s gangster period film, ‘Once Upon A Time in Mumbai’, where Emraan Hashmi essayed the role of Shoiab Khan – built on the real-life don Dawood Ibrahim. Hashmi’s character was praised immensely by critics and lapped up by fans. The film acted as a milestone in Emraan Hashmi’s film career, earning him a Filmfare nomination for the Best Supporting Actor.

The Dirty Picture

Emraan Hashmi’s performance in Milan Luthria’s ‘The Dirty Picture’, a biopic on the life of the Southern sex siren Silk Smitha, was one that left a dent on people’s minds long after the film had exited the theatres. Abraham, the narrator of the story, who starts off as a Silk-hater, gradually falls in love with her. Acting opposite to Vidya Balan, Emraan Hashmi performed his character to the hilt and won a lot of praises.

Shanghai

Watching Emraan Hashmi in Dibakar Banerjee’s gritty political thriller was a different experience altogether. As Joginder Parmar the buck-toothed, betel-chewing cameraman and part-time porn filmmaker, Hashmi was fabulous in his role. The film displayed a dimension of the actor that none had seen before. His role received unfathomable adulation and won for him a Filmfare nomination for the Best Supporting Actor.

Into Hollywood

Post his brilliant success in the Hindi film industry, Emraan Hashmi has recently stepped into Hollywood. The actor has been roped in to play a role in an upcoming film by the Academy Award winning director Danis Tanovic.

By Ananya Bhattacharya