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| emraan hashmi |
This boy can never be an actor. Look at those eyes. He looks terrified in front of the camera," says the original star of our huge and complex film family clan, aunt Poornima. Poornima, Emraan's grandmother, was a star back in the day. "I can understand why this heroine doesn't want to work with him," she concluded. She was referring to a test photo shoot picture of Emraan with a new female star, which we had taken on the star's insistence, as a kind of 'casting test.' Not surprisingly, just as aunty had prophesied, the heroine said a flat 'no'.
And with that, it was sunset at dawn for Emraan. Even before the first rays could shine on his career, it was plunged into darkness. Unlike my other nephew Mohit Suri, who always wanted to direct, Immy had always wanted to possess the best toys that the marketplace had to offer.
Luxury cars used to make him drool, and the idea of huge villas brought a dreamy look to his eyes. Acting, he felt, was the key which would unlock Alibaba's cave for him. So, he chucked up his job as an assistant director for which he got a measly 3000 a month, and gathered enough courage to tell me about his dream.
However his dreams had turned into a nightmare. He was declared dead on arrival. It was then that I stepped in. The sanskrit word 'guru' means one who brings light out of darkness. Like a true teacher, I claimed his darkness, and helped him to journey towards his own light.
Those were tough days for him. I took him with me everywhere. He was assaulted by my world-view 24x7, and attempted to whip up his inner spark. Like a gardener, I was trying to create the right soil for him to grow and flower. However it was not easy. At a film party that I had taken him to once, I boastfully introduced him to a film producer friend as my new hero. He literally shrank under the scrutinising gaze of my friend as he sized him up. Later, I blasted him for giving up on himself even before the race had begun.
But the darkest hour came on the sets of Footpath, Emraan's first film. It was the first day of the shoot and he was giving his first shot at night. Finally, when I heard the clapper boy announce 'take twenty six,' and a trembling Emraan made one more attempt to conceal his terror, I got the feeling that perhaps, just perhaps, I had backed the wrong horse. Eventually, it was the 44th take. Emraan was still far away from the goal post. That was when director Vikram Bhatt called for pack-up. As we walked to our cars, Vikram came to me, sensing my apprehension, "Don't worry, today is just a bad day. Leave it to me. We will make him a star," he said.
Footpath flopped, but believe it or not, Immy was mobbed outside Metro theatre. "Bhatt saab, Bhatt saab," he said on the phone, "I am being mobbed! These front-benchers, they like me!" he said with disbelief. I was moved. His voice still resonates within me. Who says the age of miracles is over ? At least now, he had qualified to run the race. This was his true beginning.
From his very first film, Brand Emraan has triggered intense emotions in the audience. He has always been seen as anti-establishment, loud, crass, obnoxious, irreverent, and on occasion, criminal. But there is no denying that he appealed to the maverick and the outlaw embedded in all of us. That is why our movies like Murder and Gangster worked for him.
But in spite of the success of these movies, media aristocrats and the industry were still dismissive and condescending towards him. While the industry could only see the tip of the iceberg, the real fan base lay beneath, in other words, all across the country. "Your nephew is a star in B-class centers like Ranchi, Bulandsher, Malegaon etc," said a media analyst to me. His study was confirmed when Jannat became a big hit, in spite of the IPL. With this, Immy entered his paradise phase.
Today, as he sits in his multi-crore dream apartment in the Beverly Hills of Mumbai, Pali Hill, with his fleet of BMWs and Audis parked below, and with Jannats, Shanghais, Once Upon a Time, and The Dirty Pictures under his belt, Emraan has the look of a man who has arrived. The high priests of high art who had written his obituary in his formative years are eating out of his hand because Brand Emraan has become a big box-office draw. But his biggest blockbuster is yet to descend on him. Raaz 3 is ready and waiting. With that, his brand will peak.
But a great brand is a story that is never completely told. So as his teacher, I would nudge him to move on.... There is no horizon there. It's limited by your gaze. Right now, I feel like a parent, who has taught his child to cycle. As his child rides away, there is a feeling of pride tinged with sadness. He doesn't need me anymore...
Raaz 3, presented by Fox Star Studios and produced by Vishesh Films, releases in theatres on September 7.
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