Stepped away from Bhatt camp to grow as actor: Emraan Hashmi

Emraan Hashmi has had a long association with the Bhatt camp ever since he made his Bollywood debut in 2003, but the actor says he stepped away from them in order to grow as an actor.

In his nine year long career the 33-year-old actor, who is the nephew of producers Mahesh Bhatt and Mukesh Bhatt, has worked in their productions like "Footpath", "Murder", "Zeher" "Gangster", "Awarapan", "Jannat" among others.

"It was a conscious decision to step away from Bhatt camp. I did not do it because a lot was being said that I work only for the Bhatts. I wanted to grow as an actor and that is why did films like 'Shanghai', 'The Dirty Picture', 'Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai','Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji'.

"I felt the need to go out and play different characters, work with different people in different film contexts made by different view point. I needed to know what lies there," Hashmi told PTI.

The actor, who has so far been able to maintain a consistent run at the box office, has only off-late attracted the attention of big production houses.

"No one can argue with box office. Once you start showing result, people start endorsing your work, they start believing in you. They know that public is going to come to the hall and watch this actor if the film is good. That reinforces a faith in you," he said.

When asked what he prefers, commercial success or critical acclaim, Hashmi said, "I have always aspired to make sure that no one is disappointed with my films. The audience also realises that this guy does meaningful cinema and does not take us for granted."

The actor also said that he tries to stay away from typical over the top Bollywood films and prefers to keep his acting as close to natural as possible.

"I just try and keep everything authentic. I feel 80 per cent of Bollywood is over the top, theatrical which I don't like, which I don't understand. I like to keep it as natural as possible. My agenda is to make it look like I am not acting. If I achieve at least 60 per cent of it then it's victory for me," he said.

Hashmi's latest in the offing, "Raaz 3", directed by Vikram Bhatt, revolves around the downfall of an actress and how she resorts to black magic to secure her position in the industry.
The film also stars Bipasha Basu and Esha Gupta.

"I took it up only because it is a fabulous story. I think this film has everything to make it a commercial potboiler. It has Vikram Bhatt coming back with his expertise of horror. It is in 3D and adds to the experience. It is visually more appealing and the horror elements stands out," he said.

Hashmi also has Karan Johar's untitled film, Vishal Bhardwaj's "Ek Thi Daayan" and Rajkumar Gupta's "Ghanchakkar" opposite Vidya Balan, in his kitty.

"'Ghanchakkar' is a very inter sting film. It is a comedy about a middle class couple. It is not like over the top comedies that we make in Bollywood. But it is still very funny. It has got a different kind of humour which is more relatable," he said.