Happy Birthday Emraan Hashmi: Mr X Going Strong @37

Updated: March 24, 2015 10:47 IST

As Emraan Hashmi turns 37, we look at his Bollywood journey!

Happy Birthday Emraan Hashmi: Mr X Going Strong @37

In a 10 year career, Emraan Hashmi has done what many actors spend their whole lives trying to do and very few actually manage - break a stereotype. Quietly, he jettisoned the 'serial kisser' tag and graduated from Bhatt camp movies to playing roles that proved he had serious acting chops. Here's a pictorial look at his journey as he turns 37.

Emraan was born on March 24, 1979 in Mumbai. He is the nephew of directors Mahesh and Mukhesh Bhatt. His cousins are director Mohit Suri, actresses Alia and Pooja Bhatt, and aspiring actor Rahul Bhatt.

Emraan's debut film was, as expected, a Bhatt brothers production - 2003's Footpath, co-starring Aftab Shivdasani and Bipasha Basu. It was the first of many tough guy roles.

Shortly after Footpath came Murder (2004), opposite Mallika Sherawat. Directed by Anurag Basu and written by Mahesh Bhatt, this was Emraan's first major film. The plot of the film was based largely on the Hollywood flick Unfaithful and it became famous for steamy scenes between Emraan and Mallika.

Also in 2004, Emraan was cast opposite Dia Mirza in Tumsa Nahi Dekha. Though the film tanked, his performance was praised.

In 2005, Emraan was directed by cousin Mohit Suri in Zeher, co-starring actresses Shamita Shetty and Udita Goswami. He also had a small role in Mohit's Kalyug.

2005 also saw Emraan appear in his first non-Bhatt movies - Aashiq Banaya Aapne opposite Tanushree Dutta and Chocolate, with Anil Kapoor, Irrfan Khan and Tanushree Datta.

After a few non-Bhatt duds like Jawani Diwani and Aksar, came the hit Gangster (2006), co-starring Kangana Ranaut and Shiney Ahuja. Gangster re-united Emraan with his Murder director and producers - Anurag Basu and Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt. He played an undercover cop and scored his first Filmfare nomination for Best Performance in a Negative Role.

In 2007, Emraan tried comedy in the forgettable Good Boy Bad Boy alongside Tusshar Kapoor.

Firmly established as the blue-eyed boy of Vishesh Films (run by Mukesh and Mahesh Bhatt), Emraan then appeared in Awarapan in 2007, once again directed by Mohit Suri.

Also in 2007, Emraan appeared in Jannat opposite Sonal Chauhan. The film was a major hit.

In 2009, Emraan acted in two movies; Raaz - The Mystery Continues and Tum Mile. Raaz was a success at the box office and won him critical acclaim while Tum Mile was a forgettable adventure.

In 2010, Emraan made a breakthrough in the world outside the Bhatt family business. He played an up and coming don (inspired by Dawood Ibrahim) in the Ekta Kapoor-produced Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai. The film was a hit and Emraan received his second Filmfare nomination.
His other film Crook, a Bhatt production, failed to create any buzz.

In 2011, He tried comedy again with Madhur Bhandarkar's Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji, which was a dud, but the success of Murder 2 more than compensated.

Also in 2011 came his biggest critical success, the film that allowed cine-goers and critics alike to recognise that Emraan was a true blue actor with very real potential. That film was The Dirty Picture, directed by Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai's Milan Luthria and co-starring Vidya Balan and Naseeruddin Shah.

The Dirty Picture's good work led to 2012's Shanghai, directed by Dibakar Banerjee and co-starring Abhay Deol and Kalki Koechlin. Emraan's performance was singled out for praise in a crowd of good reviews for the cast and the film as a whole. Shanghai, which earned Emraan a Filmfare nomination for Best Supporting Actor, made the actor a critic's darling while Jannat 2 and Raaz 3D balanced things out with moderate commercial success.

In 2013, Emraan appeared in two unexpected films - horror flick Ek Thi Daayan, which was a critical and box office success, and suspense comedy Ghanchakkar, co-starring Vidya Balan, which was a disaster in every way.

This year, Emraan is awaiting the release of his first film with Dharma Productions titled Ungli, directed by Rensil D'Silva, and UTV's Shatir where he is joined onscreen by Paresh Rawal and Kay Kay Menon.

In 2014, Emraan had two releases - Rensil D'Silva's Ungli and Kunal Deshmukh's Raja Natwarlal, both of which failed to get the cash registers ringing. Emraan also featured in Academy Award winning director Danis Tanovic's Tiger (earlier titled White Lies)

In 2014, Emraan also appeared on Koffee With Karan with Mahesh Bhatt. The actor revealed that Mr Bhatt takes 'an expensive gift' every time his film becomes a hit. He also said that he would pass his ‘serial kisser' tag to his cousin Alia Bhatt.

In 2015, Emran will be seen in Vikram Bhatt's 3D sci-fi superhero film Mr X and then in Mohit Suri's Humari Adhuri Kahani, which will be produced by Mahesh Bhatt. Mr Bhatt had said in an interview to NDTV that the film is based on his parents' life and relationship.

Emraan married his long-time girlfriend Parveen Shahani in 2006. Their son Ayaan was born in 2010. The much-nominated actor is still missing a big award win. We wish Emraan a happy birthday and the near future changes that.

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