In times as uncertain as this, Emraan Hashmi is a rare actor who had a theatrical release in Mumbai Saga in March and is now gearing up for his multi-starrer biggie Chehre this Friday, again on the big screen. The Rumi Jafry-directed thriller also stars Amitabh Bachchan, Dhritiman Chaterji, Annu Kapoor, Raghubir Yadav, Rhea Chakraborty and Krystle D’Souza. A Telegraph chat with Emraan on Chehre and more.

Chehre had a July 2020 release date, but the pandemic happened. After an aborted April 2021 date, the film is finally going to be in theatres this Friday. It must be a huge relief for you...

It definitely is a relief because this film was always meant to release in the theatres. We didn’t want to have it any other way. In this very bizarre and unpredictable time, people are choosing to release their films on OTT — which is definitely one of the routes to take, and I am not saying it’s wrong — but there are some producers who want to support theatre owners. Anandji (Pandit, the producer of Chehre) is one of them. Bhushan Kumar (of T-Series) is the one who put Mumbai Saga (starring Emraan and John Abraham) in movie theatres in March this year. Kudos to them. They are not really worried about magical box-office numbers because we have to accept that things have changed. We can’t really expect that in this pandemic. The film is being released in the right spirit and to support the theatre owners. And that’s the way it should be. I am just happy that because of the co-dependency we have with theatres, we are doing our bit to keep that going.

From what we can gauge from the trailer, your character — suave, charming, a smooth operator, self assured — in Chehre seems like an extension of you. Would you agree?

He’s a guy who’s very brash, in-your-face, cocky and overconfident. He’s a very successful owner of an ad agency. There is a very nice graph of how this character progresses... I don’t want to give away too much... but there is a very clear and distinct change in the facade that he puts up. The film’s title is very apt. It’s the unmasking of all the characters, so to speak. It’s about who the person behind the mask is. It’s also got a very poignant message about human nature and that’s what I liked about the script and the character.

I resonated with him in some ways. As an actor, there are always bits and pieces of the character that you connect with. Very rarely do you connect with everything that a character stands for. But I always try and bring some relation of my personal life and situations, which may not be the same as the character, but something that is pretty close. It could have some character traits... impulsiveness, vulnerability.... That’s what helps me make it very naturalistic.

The film has a strong cast comprising veterans like Amitabh Bachchan, Dhritiman Chaterji, Annu Kapoor and Raghubir Yadav. What were your biggest learnings from watching them work on set?

I was privy to some very different acting processes on set because each of them has their own process. The cast is one of the main reasons I wanted to be a part of this film. Look at that body of work and years of honing their craft... I saw these stalwarts bringing that on set. Seeing them rehearse, what they do between shots gave me a lot of insights. They may have different ways of interpreting their characters, but what is common between them is a certain discipline and a passion for cinema. They are all there for the film and the character.

You have been mixing it up very interestingly over the last few years, coming up with a variety of films. Some have worked and some haven’t, but that’s all part of the game. Has that been organic or by design?

Over the last few years, there has been a definite thought behind picking up certain characters and projects. As you said, one can’t really figure out what will work and what won’t. There are key things like trying not to repeat myself as much as possible. I try and mix it up and give the audience something new every time.

But I have also been guilty of a certain repetition, very early on in my career. Even though those films were fairly successful, they weren’t giving me any creative satisfaction. And that’s something I have consciously avoided, at least in the last five years, if not more. I have been fortunate to now get films that test me as an actor.

Do you feel that you have been successful in leaving behind the ‘Serial Kisser’ tag finally?

(Laughs) I don’t know, you tell me! The press keeps bringing it up time and again. Even when I was doing those kinds of films, roles that were bold, I was still mixing it up. But we had a nation — at least at that time — that was obsessed with boldness and intimacy and they felt that what I did made for a good headline. So the other things I was doing were fading away into the background, and this was what was being discussed. But having said that, I think the audience did finally understand that I was trying to break away and do different things every now and then.

Emraan with Amitabh Bachchan on the sets of Chehre

Why does one see and hear you mostly when you have a film to release? Even your presence on social media is limited...

That’s me, I really can’t help it. I know that some of my contemporaries are really in-your-face, but not all of them. Right now, I believe Mr Aamir Khan is also not on social media, right?

He’s gone one step ahead and switched off his phone till he finishes his shoot for Laal Singh Chaddha....
(Laughs) Each to their own. I don’t think there is any particular formula to be successful here. There is one thought process that says that as actors, people should be waiting to see our films, but then if you are constantly blasting your timeline, then where is that enigmatic quality when your film releases? People have already consumed so much of you before release. But then, there is another though process that says that in-your-face is what sells.

There is no rule. There are some actors who are very successful and are hardly there on social media. Also, it depends on your personality and what you want to put out. Some people put out every little bit of their lives. I just find that fascinating. There’s a certain validation connected to it, right? Even on Instagram, you are constantly projecting a life that is far from what it is. You are showing only the great parts of your life... no one really puts up flaws on social media. And I don’t really like that. Anyone like me who wants to be real will steer clear of doing that.

A decade later, if your son Ayaan wants to be in the movies, what will be the first thing you will tell him?

I would support him, of course. I wouldn’t dissuade him and I will always be there to give him advice. But I wouldn’t really steer his career because everyone has their own path. Most of my advice would come from my own experiences and perceptions. I will never impose my fears on my son. I will also try and prepare him for this life, which is not as easy as it appears to be.

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