Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai

Mumbai, Jan 14: As Netflix India completes a decade, the streaming platform has kicked off the milestone year with a new show headlined by actor Emraan Hashmi, who has increasingly emerged as one of its prominent faces. Much like Radhika Apte during Netflix India’s early years, Hashmi has become closely associated with the platform through a string of notable projects.

Although Hashmi had earlier led Netflix India’s 2019 espionage series Bard of Blood, his recent cameo in Aryan Khan’s directorial debut The Ba**ds of Bollywood* sparked widespread nostalgia and renewed attention online. The actor’s appearance as an intimacy coordinator in the show further added to the buzz.

Speaking to SCREEN in an exclusive interview, Hashmi said the renewed attention was not something he had planned. “You don’t plan for this. You just do good work. How things are accepted or go viral is not in our hands as artists,” he said, adding that his recent projects, including Suparn Varma’s period social drama Haq, have also received a strong response. Hashmi claimed Haq is currently ranked sixth worldwide on streaming charts.

His latest Netflix outing is Neeraj Pandey’s thriller series Taskaree, set in the world of customs officers at Indian airports. Hashmi said the show serves as a tribute to customs officials, whose work often goes unnoticed. “They are just doing their duty. It’s a tough job, and this show applauds their contribution over the years,” he said.

At the trailer launch, Hashmi humorously recalled being frequently stopped at immigration counters due to “profiling,” drawing parallels with similar experiences faced by Shah Rukh Khan. He noted that public and audience profiling continues to follow actors throughout their careers. “Everybody gets labelled. I don’t think we should take it seriously,” he said.

Addressing the long-standing ‘serial kisser’ tag that has followed him since Murder (2004), Hashmi said he has never tried to distance himself from it. “Popular culture latches on to something. You don’t run away from it. You own it,” he said, adding that the audience has also appreciated his attempts to break out of that image through films like Shanghai, Ghanchakkar and Haq.

Responding to questions about Awarapan 2, Hashmi clarified that the sequel was not driven by nostalgia. “The script takes Shivam’s journey forward. It’s not about cashing in,” he said.

Hashmi also spoke about his long association with writer Bilal Siddiqi, who has written both The Ba**ds of Bollywood* and Awarapan 2. He described Siddiqi as family, recalling their earlier collaborations on Bard of Blood and a book on Hashmi’s son’s cancer journey.

While known for iconic music sequences, Hashmi joked that Taskaree features no songs. “There’s no customs officer singing at the airport,” he said, adding humorously that many of his memorable moves were born out of simplicity rather than choreography.

With Taskaree, Hashmi continues to expand his streaming footprint, balancing his established image with newer, more grounded roles.