Emraan Hashmi, often termed as Bollywood’s serial kisser, turns 37 today. In his 15-year-long career so far, he is mostly known for locking lips with his co-actors on-screen. In his career, Emraan has essayed a variety of characters. Most of them revolved around a single concept- an ambitious youth wanting to make it big in the wicked and competitive world. All he has by his side is a dear friend who helps him achieve the goal. Meanwhile, he is flirtatious and is involved in flings until he meets a woman who changes his life. Aren’t these traits of an average Indian youth for whom sucess is an uncompromising aim?
“Jo aadmi limit me rehta hai, wo zindagi bhar limit me reh jaata hai.” An ambitious Arjun Dixit utters this dialogue in Kunal Deshmukh’s Jannat. The film became an instant hit and became a defining moment in Hashmi’s career. It is another fact that the film revolved around a bookie which is illegal and Arjun pays for it in the end. But as a person, Arjun had only two goals in his life. One, become successful and secondly he wanted to keep Zoya happy. You must be fuming why Jannat‘s example was given to prove the point. In 2009, Hashmi starred in Deshmukh’s romantic drama Tum Mile. The story dealt with a struggling painter who falls in love with a rich girl played by Soha Ali Khan. Failing to succeed in his profession, Akshay vents his frustration on Sanjana. One fine day, he gets a job offer from London and heads towards fulfilling his goal after breaking up with his girlfriend.
If you thought these two films were only those in which Hashmi played an ambitious youth, think again. In a film like Once Upon A Time in Mumbai wherein he essayed the role of a gangster, Hashmi excelled as Shoaib. If you set aside the baddie angle, Shoaib idolised Sultan Mirza and wanted to become one like him. On the other hand, he was deeply in love with Mumtaz and could go to any extent to bring happiness in her life. The Milan Luthria directorial carved Emraan’s character in such a way that he became an inseparable part of the film.
Now coming back to the point. Emraan Hashmi has been dubbed as Bollywood’s serial kisser. He is often perceived to be flirtatious and a non-serious lover. Think again. Just because he expresses his love in an intimate way on-screen, is it fair to judge someone on such parameter? We live in a country where it is a taboo to talk about kissing. In films like Awaarapan, Hamaari Adhuri Kahaani and Jannat, Emraan played a serious lover that was appreciated by the audience.
Hence, its time to stop being judgemental and look at his films beyond the stereotype of a serial kisser.
