Emraan Hashmi confirms Jannat 3, admits his 'serial kisser' image made him a star: 'I don't look righteous' | Exclusive

Emraan Hashmi started his career in 2003 with Footpath and followed an unconventional path to stardom. From leading erotic thrillers like Murder, Aksar, Zehar, to impressing masses with content-driven Jannat, Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai, Shanghai, Emraan proves his worth over the years. The actor is now ready with his new release, action-thriller Ground Zero, and he joins DNA India for an exclusive conversation. 

During the chat, Emraan first confirms that not only Awarapan 2, but he will also be bringing the third instalment of Jannat. Speaking about reviving the popular franchise, Emraan asserts, "Baatein chal rahi hai. Jis tarah Awarapan ka hua that. It's going to take some time. This is something, I feel, I want to revive. But we don't want to make a sequel just for the sake of it, cashing in on the franchise. Just like during Awarapan, we have to be very clear about the basic idea and the space we will be going into. Now, will it be on cricket, or will it be another story of a bad boy with questionable ambition? We will see." 

Watch the video interview

Emraan also looks back at his choices and how his 'bad boy', 'serial kisser' image made him a star. In films like Gangster, Murder, OUATIM, and Jannat, where Emraan played a grey-shade character, he was loved by the masses. Emraan credits his career to these films' success, adding, "That (grey-shade roles) is something that sets it apart from 2003, with my debut film Footpath. I think, I  don't know if I would have worked if I went down playing the traditional roles, playing righteous characters. I don't think I look that part, nor that I wanted to it myself. So I became a part of the experience from the audience who sees this new grey hero, who does the wrong thing, but you still root for him. And of course, there is a redemption arc as well." 

Emraan further shares a joke from 2000 about him, "There was a running joke about me, that in every movie I die, it would become a hit. So they (filmmakers) tried to shove up my death sequence somewhere in the film." Emraan Hashmi's Ground Zero releases in cinemas on April 25.