A TIME TO KISS AND KILL

Emraan Hashmi may have been an industry insider but he tells Suman Sharma that he’s become increasingly detached as time goes by

Emraan Hashmi is no longer a serial kisser. He's no more into fluff and is concentrating more on substance. He was praised for his villainous role in Tiger 3 and is now earning accolades as a greyshaded character in the OTT show, Showtime. He's the perfect casting for the show as being an industry kid, he knows the ins and out of the profession. His sessions with uncles Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt must have opened his eyes to the day-to-day travails of a filmmaker. The series is said to be full of insider winks and nods and offers plenty of goss to the discerning viewer. And Emraan seems to be enjoying himself playing a second-generation film producer, keeping the viewer guessing about his character's motives at every turn. Excerpts from a tete-a-tete with the actor who is finally free of sobriquets.

You've portrayed a grey character in Showtime. How are villainous roles evolving nowadays?

Raghu isn't the sole grey character in the series. If you observe closely, there are no black and white characters; they're all shades of grey. Even those who initially seem whitewashed in the first four episodes may surprise you. Present-day audiences disdain squeaky clean, unidimensional characters. We all possess shades of grey and sometimes engage in actions deemed unethical, yet concepts like redemption and remorse exist. No one's life follows a singular path of righteousness, a reality mirrored in films and shows.

Why did it take you five years to undertake an OTT project post Bard Of Blood?