We will not lean on Emraan: Mahesh Bhatt

Actor Emraan Hashmi was introduced to Bollywood by filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, and the 62-year-old now feels that he need not lean on the actor anymore, as he has become a “safe” film star.

Actor Emraan Hashmi was introduced to Bollywood by filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, and the 62-year-old now feels that he need not lean on the actor anymore, as he has become a “safe” film star.

It was Bhatt who gave Emraan his first break in 2003 with the film Footpath, where he played a supporting role alongside actors Bipasha Basu and Aftab Shivdasani. But it was the film Murder a year later that brought him recognition. He continued to work with the Bhatt camp in many films including Gangster (2006), Jannat (2008), Tum Mile (2009) and Murder 2 (2011).

“Emraan, post Murder 2 and Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai, has had phenomenal success. Today, he is a major star. Having created a monster, we will not let this monster devour us. Otherwise, what is the point of saying that we will not work with stars?” said Bhatt. He added, “Emraan has other people to work with, which will make him richer. He is our flesh but he does not have to work with us always. That is why Kunal Khemu is one of the actors in whom we will invest. Even Randeep Hooda is a great actor. His potential has not been exploited properly and there are many more like him. We will not lean on Emraan only. We will move away from the safety of being with him.”