It is actor Emraan Hashmi’s fine attention to detail that is totally un-missable even as he gets ready for the interview. The time, the effort and the pride that he has taken into dressing sharp radiates an image of self-worth.
While that’s about his appearance as Emraan, the countless hours he has invested in watching Mohammad Azharuddin, studying his techniques, adopting his habits, mannerisms, intonations and expressions – is clearly convincing in ‘Azhar’ trailer. The actor, who has been busy promoting the film, doesn’t refer to ‘Azhar’ as a biopic. Instead, he calls it a film that is inspired by the events that happened in Azharuddin’s life. “We’ve taken several cinematic liberties to ensure the viewers face no difficulty in relating to the film. But that doesn’t mean we haven’t remained true to the key events and facts in Azharuddin’s personal and professional life."
Playing cricketer Azharuddin, whose life is nothing less than a soap opera, with several twists/turns and multiple high/low points, calls for dedication and a complete understanding of the character. “Azharuddin was flawless when it came to playing wristy strokes and leg glance. So yes, I was prepared to learn of all it to do justice to the role. I had to practice for 3 months to understand all of that. But Azharuddin was coached me right from the beginning. Since he is a wristy player, and I am very stiff, I had to quit the weight training and opt for yoga."
While Emraan started doing ‘mainstream’ films post ‘The Dirty Picture’, his career has largely been synonymous with erotic thrillers. So was it a conscious effort to opt for roles that would help him condemn those who slammed him for doing erotic thrillers? “My quest was never to slam critics. I frankly didn’t even get down to reading so many reviews back then because I understood that I was touching upon a genre that will get me this kind of backlash. But I also feel that we all are busy making films that conform to our family dramas, comedies and genres that are well accepted in our culture. But there is hypocrisy in this too, because back then if you’d take the DVD of ‘Basic Instinct’, watch it and it would still be fine. But it was blasphemous if somebody said they were taking the DVD of ‘Murder’."
Even though he tasted success with erotic thrillers, there was a time when Emraan would only be offered films that belonged to that genre. “I got sick of it myself – of doing a genre which I didn’t know. I mean, I was so new at that point of time. Just took up films that were coming to me. I obviously didn’t have a strategic way of functioning, never paid any attention to what would I do next. I was doing films and also happy to be working."
But as the realization of doing something new dawned on him, he decided to do things differently. “After a few years I realized that I was being unfair to myself and my fans and felt the need to do something that would give a sense of personal fulfillment. I wanted to do new things and started getting different characters for my films. The first approach in this direction was ‘Awarapan’ which is even now referred to as one of my best films. And then there were films like ‘Jannat’, ‘Shanghai’ and ‘Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai’. So yes, I agree there were makers who took risks with me. I call it ‘risk’ because the industry likes to conform. Directors want actors to conform because they are scared. They work with the mindset, ‘Yehi Chal Raha Hai Toh Yehi Karte Raho’. But there is a need to think from on an individual level. Creative satisfaction is as important as enjoying the process of film making. It isn’t just about successful films. This is why I started doing different films."
And to do a film on Azharuddin who will be remembered as the best fielder to emerge from the subcontinent in the pre-T20 period, and most of the 1990s, was a sane decision.
“Azhar isn’t just one of those films that are fine to be novel or different. It is a dream come true for me as I love films that have their roots deeply entrenched in facts and reality. In ‘Azhar’ I play someone who is alive, whom I can study and also admire a lot. But to be playing someone with whom people have an association, can relate to, is both risky and interesting. Post this I was like to do more films that somewhere have a sweet spot between sense of realism, facts and still be entertaining cinema."
Since Emraan has taken pay cut in the past to support films with an interesting topic and not necessarily with a huge budget, he doesn’t mind following that in future too. "Of course, I would not mind taking a pay cut any day to ensure a niche film is made in the best possible manner. Sometimes, as an actor you burden a film and stifle its potential by putting a price tag from a film that is a commercial Box Office Hit on to a project that needs exposure but can’t afford the an actor’s price tag. I have done films because I like their stories and what they say. I did ‘Shanghai’ because it talked about corruption, ‘Tigers’ too dealt with serious issue that didn’t come under the realm of traditional cinema."
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