Mahesh Bhatt Thought Emraan Hashmi’s “Career Will Be Over” After Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai

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Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai is undoubtedly one of the finest films of Emraan Hashmi’s career. In the Milan Luthria directorial, Emraan played the role of Shoaib Khan. But did you know Emraan’s uncle, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, initially asked him to drop the role? Emraan himself disclosed this in a chat with The Lallantop. He recalled Mahesh saying, “If you play this character, your career will be over.” Emraan added, “He warned me, ‘While some characters with grey shades are able to redeem themselves, this character will change people’s perception of you overnight.’”

Emraan Hashmi shared that after the film’s release, Mahesh Bhatt realised that he was wrong. Emraan said, “When the film released and became a massive success, he called Milan and said, ‘I am sorry. I was wrong.’ He admitted that the film, contrary to his initial thoughts, was entertaining rather than dark.” 

Released in 2010, Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai also featured Ajay Devgn, Kangana Ranaut, Prachi Desai and Randeep Hooda. The movie was bankrolled by Ekta Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor’s Balaji Motion Pictures.

In addition to Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai, Emraan Hashmi also played a negative character in Tiger 3. While talking about his role, the actor told ANI, “I was sold on the idea to play a villain who as much shrewd and cunning as he is powerful enough to take on an iconic hero like Tiger in a hand to hand combat. Aditya Chopra and Maneesh Sharma created a very unique anti-hero archetype for me to play with and make him my own. I’m delighted that audience gave me love when Tiger 3 released in theatres and the film went on to become a big hit. Now, they are again pouring love on me when Tiger 3 has released on streaming. This is testimony to the fact that the film and its story and its characters have connected to the hearts of audiences.”

Tiger 3 featured Emraan Hashmi as Aatish Rehman. The film, directed by Maneesh Sharma, was headlined by Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif.