I’d like to be a role model in my personal life, if not on screen: Emraan Hashmi

Editor’s note
He is nothing like the conflicted characters he plays on screen. Actor Emraan Hashmi sauntered into DNA on Tuesday afternoon and gave us a glimpse of the person he really is when the cameras are not rolling. Candid and charming, Emraan talked about his bad boy image, why he chooses the roles he does, what works for him as an actor, and how fatherhood is both fulfilling and challenging at the same time.

The actor opened the conversation by insisting he has the kind of face that makes people empathise with him in real life, and on reel. “As a kid, I once set our backyard on fire. I got away with it only because I gave (my parents) an innocent look which melted their hearts,” said Emraan, adding that he still uses ‘the look’ to his advantage. “Every time I have to kiss a heroine in a film, I give my wife the same look. That is how I get away with all the onscreen kissing and don’t get slapped (by my wife),” he added with a smile.

Riding high on the box-office success of his latest movie Raaz 3, Emraan’s films are often panned by critics but lapped up by the masses. “If I am allowed to be greedy (as an actor), I would do both mainstream and critically acclaimed movies. But given a choice, I would pick mainstream films over realistic ones because, in the end, I would rather be a popular actor than do films only to please the critics.”

Prod him on what works for brand Emraan,  he points out that his trump cards are his unconventional looks and his willingness to play characters that “quintessential Hindi film heroes” would rather stay away from. When asked if he has anything against mainstream Bollywood actors, Emraan said, half in jest, “Only that I don’t look like them and that they are uni-dimensional.” The actor feels he kind of fits into the mould of an anti-establishment hero — the bad boy whose point of view the audiences want to explore. “I enjoy playing guys who do things that are perceived to be wrong because I want to give expression to emotions that are not often addressed in Hindi films.”

When the discussion veered to his family life, Emraan said his two-and-a-half year-old son is yet to comprehend what his father does for a living. “It is one question he will surely ask as soon as he starts speaking fluently,” said the actor. “On screen, I might not be a perfect role model but in my personal life, I would like to be as good a role model as any father would like to be.”

And while Emraan works towards that real life goal, he assured us that he will continue to remain grey and complex in reel life. Amen to that!