‘There was a brigade working against…’

Emraan Hashmi made a strong statement about the insecurity of men in the film industry and also touched on why Ranbir Kapoor’s Animal movie worked despite harsh criticism from a section. Interacting with News18, Emraan discussed how the audience can direct the fate of a film even if the watchdogs or critics are against it. Stating that hyper masculine characters are appreciated, Emraan said, “There is a work of a hyper masculine man who is seen as toxic in the cinemas. Even though there is turmoil around him, people still buy tickets. Giving an example from Animal, Emraan added: “Why did a movie like Animal work? Yes, there was a vigilante brigade working against this. There was such a perception. But there were a lot of men who identified with that.”

Emraan Hashmi on insecure men in the film industry

Emraan did not hesitate to express the insecurity of men in the cinema industry and said that male actors are still content with just playing ‘heroes’. Referencing his filmography and the recently released Haq, he added, “Men in our industry are so insecure. How many people would make a film like Haq? Every narrative should showcase the triumph of one man. I’m not blowing my own trumpet here. But even then, I had done a film like The Dirty Picture. I liked the subject matter. We should shed our insecurities and do more things like this.”

About Emraan Hashmi’s The Dirty Picture, Haq

In 2011, Emraan Hashmi starred in the erotic drama The Dirty Picture, a biopic based on the tragic life of 80’s Southern Siren Silk Smitha. Vidya Balan played Silk Smitha along with Emraan, Nasseruddin Shah and Tusshaar in key roles. The film was released to positive reviews and broke box office records. Vidya even won a National Award for her performance.

Also read: After Karan Johar, Alia Bhatt hails ‘queen’ Yami Gautam for Haq, netizens dig old video of filmmaker ignoring her, internet calls it ‘ultimate doglapan’

Talking about his last film Haq, the film is based on the landmark victory in the Shah Bano Case. In this movie, Yami Gautam plays Shazia Bano, who has a 10-year legal battle against her lawyer husband Mohammed Ahmed Khan, who wants alimony after their divorce. The film also starred Vartika Singh, Danish Husain, Sheeba Chadha and Aseem Hattangady in key roles. Despite positive reviews, the film underperformed at the box office.