Emraan Hashmi opens up on shedding his ‘serial kisser’ tag and reinventing himself: “I juiced it to the hilt” : Bollywood News

Emraan Hashmi, who became synonymous with the ‘serial kisser’ tag early in his career, has spoken candidly about how the label shaped — and eventually limited — his journey in Bollywood. In a recent interview with Hindustan Times, the actor traced the origins of the image, acknowledged its commercial success, and explained why he consciously chose to move away from it.

Emraan Hashmi opens up on shedding his ‘serial kisser’ tag and reinventing himself: “I juiced it to the hilt”

Emraan Hashmi opens up on shedding his ‘serial kisser’ tag and reinventing himself: “I juiced it to the hilt”The tag first took root with one of his initial films, Murder (2004), co-starring Mallika Sherawat. Hashmi admitted that the image was not accidental and was actively amplified at the time. “They were commercial successes, and I was also raking in that image. We were playing up to it through the marketing. The press was in on it,” he said.

However, after more than a decade of similar portrayals, the actor realised the need for reinvention. Reflecting on audience behaviour and changing generational tastes, Hashmi explained, “After a decade of doing it, I realised that the audience changes. They say, every 10 to 14 years, it switches. The next generation comes to the theatres. It’s very important to reinvent yourself for that fresh audience. And every character, every mould, reaches the saturation point. You can only juice it out as much. And I realised I juiced it to the hilt, yeah. So it was very important to me to switch.”

Despite moving on professionally, Hashmi acknowledged that the image continues to follow him, particularly in public interactions. “What happens is that when you have such a strong image, especially in a very conservative society like India, they will still hold on to it. Like, if you see people from the press conference the other day, there was still a question about the kiss that pops up. But that’s India. They are still obsessed with it,” he remarked.

Addressing how actors can break free from typecasting, Hashmi stressed the importance of risk-taking and versatility. “You have to go out there and just play in the front foot and do something to at least show your versatility. Just go out there and be daring with the stuff that you’re doing.”

In recent years, the actor has actively pursued roles that are far removed from his earlier image. His latest project, Taskaree, released on Netflix, while his last theatrical outing, Haq, received positive critical feedback. Looking ahead, Hashmi has a packed slate with Awarapan 2, G2 alongside Adivi Sesh, Gunmaster G9, among other projects — signalling a continued focus on varied and challenging roles.

Also Read: Emraan Hashmi on playing Customs Officer in Taskaree, “You can’t just turn up in that uniform and expect for it to work”