Emraan Hashmi on Playing Underworld Characters and Why OTT Is the Right Format for Them

Bollywood actor Emraan Hashmi, known for his intense portrayals of morally complex characters, was present at the launch of S. Hussain Zaidi’s book From Dubai to Karachi in Mumbai on Monday. Speaking at the event, Hashmi reflected on the challenges of portraying underworld figures on screen, the evolution of audience expectations, and the shift in storytelling formats in today’s digital era.

 

When asked how difficult it is to portray characters from the underworld, Hashmi explained that while the material is often inspired by real events, mainstream Hindi cinema has historically treated it through the lens of entertainment rather than documentation. “It’s like any other role. What has happened in the Hindi film industry is that we don't really make documentaries—we make films for entertainment. Obviously, we are inspired by the underworld, and writers and directors source information from books like these. 

 

But eventually, we have to add five songs, an action sequence, and romance. If you really want to understand the underworld, you should read Hussain Zaidi’s books or watch a documentary. For entertainment, watch Once Upon a Time in Mumbai.”

 

Hashmi, who gained critical and popular acclaim for his role in Once Upon a Time in Mumbai, shared his ongoing interest in morally ambiguous characters. “After Once Upon a Time in Mumbai, I’ve been offered these roles multiple times. I’ve always been fascinated by grey characters. Even when I was a kid, I used to watch films by Martin Scorsese—Goodfellas really impacted me.”

 

However, he acknowledged that crafting such a character convincingly depends on how it’s structured within a film. “The challenge lies in constructing that character and pitching it to the audience. It all depends on how the story progresses. Especially now, with theatrical releases being so uncertain, it’s a big question mark—what exactly works in cinemas today?”

 

In today's storytelling landscape, Hashmi believes the OTT (Over-the-top) format is ideal for such layered portrayals. “If I had to play a character like this today, I feel OTT is the best medium because it gives you 7-8 episodes to develop it fully. Especially after reading this book and seeing the trajectory of someone like Dawood, it feels like you would need two or three series to do justice to his story. I would love to play it, yes.”

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