Emraan Hashmi is excited about his first comedy film, Ghanchakkar.

Emraan Hashmi is excited about his first comedy film, Ghanchakkar, releasing on June 28. The actor talks about moving away from his earlier work, promoting the film and living life under the radar.
Your earlier films Murder (2004) and Jannat (2008) did well at the box office and your later
projects like Shanghai (2012) and Ek Thi Daayan earned you critical acclaim. Now, with Ghanchakkar, you’re venturing into comedy.
Do you feel that you are being accepted as an actor by the audience?
Some films are critically acclaimed but they are pitched for a certain kind of audience, which is a particular, smaller demographic. Others go to the mass level. As an actor, I have lent my name to both kinds of films. I just want to be in the process of working in films. The idea is to work in projects that I am convinced about. That’s why I did Ghanchakkar. It’s a fantastic comedy and I hope people love it. Viewers will not miss much of the Emraan Hashmi that they have seen in Jannat or Murder.
So are we going to see a new side to Emraan?
Yes. I don’t think you have seen me playing a guy who is in a situational comedy where people will probably be laughing during every scene. I am not going to do over-the-top comedy scenes, but the situations are funny and the character is someone I haven’t played before.
Does promoting a film become tiring for you?
That’s an under statement. It’s too much for me as I am doing it every two months. I have releases that follow each other, so it’s pretty taxing for me. Marketing has become an important part of films now; probably as important as the films themselves. If you don’t take it out to the public there won’t be the required eyeballs and people won’t know what’s coming.
You are a star, but we see you maintaining a low profile. Is that a conscious decision?
That’s just how I am, I guess. I like to be slightly grounded and don’t want to be swayed by success or failure. I never wanted to bean actor. I treat it as a profession and don’t take stardom so seriously. I don’t carry the baggage of star.