A news report about trouble in his marriage has Emran Hashmi far from fazed. At least he's outwardly calm. Taking a deep breath he says, "My wife didn't react to the story at all. My marriage  isn't so brittle that it would crumble because of one article. I admit there would have been problems  if she didn't trust me. And if she felt there was any truth to it my wife would walk out the front door."

Emran's  mentor Mahesh Bhatt was also brought into the story as the mediator. "I saw the story. Then I closed it and went off to work. My wife saw the story with me. She didn't react at all. I'm honest  in my marriage."
Emran is unable to pinpoint where the story emanated from. "I just saw what they had written. I  moved on. My wife is with me. And that's that counts. We completed a year of marriage in December. There have been ups and downs.

“We were friends from long before marriage. So we understand each other. We share everything. It's a relationship of trust. And that trust remains  unbroken. From the day I came into the industry I was ready for this kind of thing.

“This line isn't  for the faint-hearted. As for my wife, I've trained her. This isn't the first whiff of a scandal in our life together. As I said we trust each other."

Emran has been lying really  low. "After Awaarapan I was busy with my next  film Jannat. Now that the film is almost done I've been shuttling around, travelling and editing. It isn't as though I  keep away from the media. But I feel my work gives me a greater satisfaction. I'd rather talk about my work."

Jannat goes in  the forbidden  territory of match fixing in cricket. "It's directed  by debutant Kunal Deshmukh. It's very topical.

“My character adopts both fair and unfair means to be affluent. I play a  small- time gambler who flourishes as a bookie and match-fixing."

The Bhatts have been inspired  by the book Fallen Heroes from Tehelka. "I was never a diehard cricket fan. But I was completely fascinated by this account of the way cricketers are blackened," says Emran.

The  serial-kisser  is  back in Jannat. "There's a new girl Sonal in Jannat with me. I don't enjoy  the  image of  the serial kisser, not after being kissed by a man in a mob  once. The image hounds me."

After  Jannat , Emran has  another film Bhatt film lined up. “As  for  my private jannat (marriage) so far so good. Parenthood? I'm too immature for it right  now,” he says.