Female attention makes me feel very special: Emraan Hashmi

Serial kisser Emraan Hashmi is back! Averse to awards and a sworn loyalist of the Bhatt camp, the actor gets candid with Tanu Talwar of Spicezee.com about his loathing for critics and love for female attention.

Serial kisser Emraan Hashmi is back! After his scary act in Raaz 2, he is here again to woo us all in Mukesh Bhatt’s 26/07 Mumbai floods inspired film, ‘Tum Mile’ hits theatres today. Having proved his mettle with some awe-inspiring performances on the silver screen, the boyish actor is out to do away with his infamous ‘smoocher’ tag as he belts out another atypical role.

Averse to awards and a sworn loyalist of the Bhatt camp, the actor gets candid with Tanu Talwar of Spicezee.com about his loathing for critics and love for female attention.Tanu: Tell us about your role in ‘Tum Mile’. Emraan:I play the role of a painter. His name is Akshay, lives in Cape Town and is a college going student. He is a little confused in life. He is trying his hand at different things and he doesn’t really know what he wants out of life. He is a part-time waiter. During his stay, he falls in love with a girl named Sanjana and that is where the story picks up. Tanu: And what is the film all about? Emraan: It’s one of the only disaster films in Bollywood. It’s mainly a love story that has a typical commitment phobic boy and a girl looking for long-term future. I play a man who has bottled up emotions and is hence not able to express himself. The only time he is his true self is when he is painting. Tanu: What’s the biggest USP of the film? Emraan:Besides being a disaster film, the sole USP is that it’s a love story. Being Indians, anything that has emotions makes an instant connection with us. And ‘Tum Mile’ is a very emotional and young love story. Tanu: Recently there was an incident when your female fans tore your shirt. How do you deal with all the female attention? Emraan: The question isn’t how I deal with it, but whether I enjoy it or not. And yes I love it. There would be a problem if I did not receive women’s attention. It makes me feel really great. Tanu: But do you ever crave for privacy? Emraan:Yes, there are times when I feel the need to escape the limelight. Initially when I started out, I used to feel very uncomfortable with all this attention. But as you grow in your career, fans start acknowledging your need for privacy and even I have become accustomed to all the attention that I receive now. So I really don’t see being famous as a hassle, I guess its an aspect that comes with my job. Tanu: You have been touted as a serial kisser. How are you trying to do away with this image? Emraan: Owing to my past 10-11 films, which were erotic thrillers, I do feel that I have made a certain kind of image in the industry. But now I am trying to get away with the serial kisser tag. In fact in ‘Tum Mile’ it’s Soha who kisses me. I feel that with time audiences will forget my kissing record. Tanu: So, what’s next? Emraan: I have a couple of films lined up. One film is still in the scripting stage, it`s about the racial treatment Indians get in Australia. The other film that I am really excited about is based in 1970’s. It chronicles the time when underworld started out in our country. The entire look and get-up has a touch of the 70’s era. Tanu: Will we see you playing a mobster? Emraan: Yes, my character does have shades of grey. Tanu: A couple of years into married life, do you feel that your popularity with your female fans has gone down? Emraan: No I don’t. In fact I really don’t understand why celebrities should feel the need to hide their relationship status. I think that such people really don’t respect their partners. In fact, I feel that girls really like men who are open about their relationships. Girls like men who are publically committed as it shows that they can make loyal mates. Tanu: You have often been criticized for sticking to the Bhatt camp. Do you get any offers form other filmmakers? Emraan:Yes I do get offers. But the reason I work with the Bhatts is because they give me creative freedom. They understand my need to do challenging roles. It’s very rare that you find filmmakers who match your sensibility. And it’s not like other filmmakers won’t give me that freedom but I feel that they are best when it comes to character choreographing. Tanu: So how was it working with Soha? Emraan:(Laughs) Initially when I was told that Soha was cast opposite me, I was taken aback as she is a sober actress. But it was a lot of fun working with her. She is a great actress and has done a fabulous job in the film. Also the fact that she is very grounded helped me to establish an immediate connection with her and that shows in our onscreen chemistry. Tanu: Do you feel that the film industry has given you your due? Emraan: I don’t want any kind of dues from the film fraternity. It’s filled with people who are good to you on your face but speak nonsense behind your back. I don’t like such hypocrisy. But that’s how things are, and I am happy ignoring such people. See, that’s the problem with creative people, they find it hard to appreciate someone else’s work. Tanu: You don’t miss getting awards? Emraan: I don’t care about awards. They mean nothing to me. All these awards are driven by vested interests. There are separate winners from different camps. I don’t want any 12-15 people jury judging me and telling me whether I am worth a trophy. For me, my biggest achievement is when audiences go and spend money to see me onscreen. In fact, even when I hold personal screenings of my films, I don’t call the people I am related to or my friends. I call people whom I know will give me a genuine review of my work. Tanu: Lastly what’s your biggest stress buster? Emraan: I get stressed very rarely. And when I do get stressed out, I break costly things. So it turns out to be quite expensive.