Bollywood actor Emraan Hashmi may be out of sight in his latest sci-fi thriller, Mr X, but he hopes his film won’t be ignored.
“While the spine of Mr X is a complex love story, it’s a also a film about a person whose life changes dramatically after a terrible incident ... He becomes an outlaw overnight,” said Hashmi in an interview with tabloid!. Mr X chronicles the tale of an anti-terrorist squad member who turns into an avenging assassin after he accidentally acquires the power of invisibility.
Directed by Vikram Bhatt of the hit Raaz supernatural thriller series, Hashmi returns to familiar territory here. Mr X is produced by Vishesh Films, which belongs to his uncles, Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt. Hashmi owes a large part of his success to his relatives since they assisted him in making that elusive Bollywood break with a string of non-traditional, racy films such as Murder, Zeher and Gangster. So did he say yes to Mr X as a familial obligation?
“It doesn’t work like that for me. I have said ‘no’ and rejected their scripts before. But having said that, I feel a connect to the way they make their films,” said Hashmi, adding that they are masters at spinning unconventional stories.
speaks to Hashmi to get to the bottom of Mr X. Excerpts from our interview:
Q: Why should we watch Mr X?
A: The story of Mr X is rooted in our culture. It’s something that is close to the Indian ethos and a story of an invisible man has not been explored in great detail before. The film also has a love story that’s tumultuous in the sense that it’s interesting to see a man and a woman whose love for each other turns to loathing. Not many films deal with that change in ideologies between a couple. Also, the visual and the 3D effects in this film are top-notch. We don’t have many 3D films being made in Bollywood, so all of that makes Mr X interesting. [The film releases in both 2D and 3D in UAE cinemas on April 16.]
Q: What’s your role in Mr X?
A: Mr X, who attains the power of invisibility when an ailment strikes him, is on a personal quest to bring down people who have wronged him. He sets out to kill all those who wronged him. So in short, Mr X channels his newly-acquired superpower to hunt down bad guys. My character used to work for an anti-terrorist squad. All’s well in his life. His colleague and he are in love. They are about to get married. But something goes terribly wrong when my character gets burnt in a chemical refinery. The combination of radiation and the medicines that are prescribed to him makes him transform into an invisible man. His ideologies takes a 360 degree turn. He becomes an outlaw overnight. That terrible incident changes his life dramatically and the lovers become sworn enemies. He feels he’s above the law.
Q: Are you happy with the trailer? In my opinion, it doesn’t capture all of what you just said. Will it pull the people into theatres?
A: I feel the trailers that we have put out have a certain element of intrigue to it. Remember, you cannot give the experience that you gather from a two-and-a-half-hour film — which promises to be roller-coaster ride — in a one-and-a-half-minute trailer. So the promos don’t do justice to the film. I agree with that. But that’s not to say it reflects badly on those who worked on the promo. It’s difficult to come up with a promo for a film that has a narrative such as Mr X. You just have to watch the full film and judge for yourself.
Q: 3D films haven’t performed that well so far in Bollywood. Don’t you think you have taken on a tough battle with Mr X?
A: We made a film called Raaz and I believe director Vikram Bhatt handled it fairly well. It did brisk box-office business. It’s not that we can’t do 3D films well. Agreed, we don’t have the big budgets that are allocated to Hollywood films and their experience is far superior because of the money that’s pumped in. But you can’t forget that the story in a 3D Hindi film is weaved into the Indian culture and ethos — things that an Indian can relate to. That makes it far more superior to Hollywood films. Those are dry and not relatable. And Vikram [director] is the only guy who makes these 3D films in India and he has done so many films that he has almost mastered that art. What it can’t do is compete with films such as The Avengers or The Fast & The Furious series. But Vikram makes up for it by sharing stories that people can connect with in India.
Q: Did you agree to be a part of Mr X because it’s produced by Vishesh Films, a company that played a huge role in where you are today?
A: It doesn’t work like that for me. I have said ‘no’ and rejected their scripts. But having said that, I feel a connect to the way they make their films. They are not the traditional, generic Bollywood set-ups. They have their stories and they have author-backed characters in their films. I don’t get that much of a chance outside. So whenever I get a chance to work with the directors such as the Bhatts or Dibakar Bannerjee, I take it up. Plus, I am always mixing things up. There’s an audience for a Danis Tanovich film or a Dibakar film. But a Danis Tanovich film cannot be consumed by the masses. They have an elite, niche market who love to consume them. I have always wanted to put myself out there and have a mixed bag of a career.
Q: You took your son for the screening of Mr X. Is this a child-friendly film?
A: People often look at me with a question mark or with a certain degree of apprehension, wondering if an Emraan Hashmi film can be a family-friendly film [Hashmi is notorious for his on-screen raunchiness]. But the good news here is that the Censor Board in India has given it a clean slate. If three kisses are a problem and you don’t want to show your kids that, then it’s your discretion not to take them to the cinemas for Mr X. But for all others, this will be an enjoyable film.
“While the spine of Mr X is a complex love story, it’s a also a film about a person whose life changes dramatically after a terrible incident ... He becomes an outlaw overnight,” said Hashmi in an interview with tabloid!. Mr X chronicles the tale of an anti-terrorist squad member who turns into an avenging assassin after he accidentally acquires the power of invisibility.
Directed by Vikram Bhatt of the hit Raaz supernatural thriller series, Hashmi returns to familiar territory here. Mr X is produced by Vishesh Films, which belongs to his uncles, Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt. Hashmi owes a large part of his success to his relatives since they assisted him in making that elusive Bollywood break with a string of non-traditional, racy films such as Murder, Zeher and Gangster. So did he say yes to Mr X as a familial obligation?
“It doesn’t work like that for me. I have said ‘no’ and rejected their scripts before. But having said that, I feel a connect to the way they make their films,” said Hashmi, adding that they are masters at spinning unconventional stories.
speaks to Hashmi to get to the bottom of Mr X. Excerpts from our interview:
Q: Why should we watch Mr X?
A: The story of Mr X is rooted in our culture. It’s something that is close to the Indian ethos and a story of an invisible man has not been explored in great detail before. The film also has a love story that’s tumultuous in the sense that it’s interesting to see a man and a woman whose love for each other turns to loathing. Not many films deal with that change in ideologies between a couple. Also, the visual and the 3D effects in this film are top-notch. We don’t have many 3D films being made in Bollywood, so all of that makes Mr X interesting. [The film releases in both 2D and 3D in UAE cinemas on April 16.]
Q: What’s your role in Mr X?
A: Mr X, who attains the power of invisibility when an ailment strikes him, is on a personal quest to bring down people who have wronged him. He sets out to kill all those who wronged him. So in short, Mr X channels his newly-acquired superpower to hunt down bad guys. My character used to work for an anti-terrorist squad. All’s well in his life. His colleague and he are in love. They are about to get married. But something goes terribly wrong when my character gets burnt in a chemical refinery. The combination of radiation and the medicines that are prescribed to him makes him transform into an invisible man. His ideologies takes a 360 degree turn. He becomes an outlaw overnight. That terrible incident changes his life dramatically and the lovers become sworn enemies. He feels he’s above the law.
Q: Are you happy with the trailer? In my opinion, it doesn’t capture all of what you just said. Will it pull the people into theatres?
A: I feel the trailers that we have put out have a certain element of intrigue to it. Remember, you cannot give the experience that you gather from a two-and-a-half-hour film — which promises to be roller-coaster ride — in a one-and-a-half-minute trailer. So the promos don’t do justice to the film. I agree with that. But that’s not to say it reflects badly on those who worked on the promo. It’s difficult to come up with a promo for a film that has a narrative such as Mr X. You just have to watch the full film and judge for yourself.
Q: 3D films haven’t performed that well so far in Bollywood. Don’t you think you have taken on a tough battle with Mr X?
A: We made a film called Raaz and I believe director Vikram Bhatt handled it fairly well. It did brisk box-office business. It’s not that we can’t do 3D films well. Agreed, we don’t have the big budgets that are allocated to Hollywood films and their experience is far superior because of the money that’s pumped in. But you can’t forget that the story in a 3D Hindi film is weaved into the Indian culture and ethos — things that an Indian can relate to. That makes it far more superior to Hollywood films. Those are dry and not relatable. And Vikram [director] is the only guy who makes these 3D films in India and he has done so many films that he has almost mastered that art. What it can’t do is compete with films such as The Avengers or The Fast & The Furious series. But Vikram makes up for it by sharing stories that people can connect with in India.
Q: Did you agree to be a part of Mr X because it’s produced by Vishesh Films, a company that played a huge role in where you are today?
A: It doesn’t work like that for me. I have said ‘no’ and rejected their scripts. But having said that, I feel a connect to the way they make their films. They are not the traditional, generic Bollywood set-ups. They have their stories and they have author-backed characters in their films. I don’t get that much of a chance outside. So whenever I get a chance to work with the directors such as the Bhatts or Dibakar Bannerjee, I take it up. Plus, I am always mixing things up. There’s an audience for a Danis Tanovich film or a Dibakar film. But a Danis Tanovich film cannot be consumed by the masses. They have an elite, niche market who love to consume them. I have always wanted to put myself out there and have a mixed bag of a career.
Q: You took your son for the screening of Mr X. Is this a child-friendly film?
A: People often look at me with a question mark or with a certain degree of apprehension, wondering if an Emraan Hashmi film can be a family-friendly film [Hashmi is notorious for his on-screen raunchiness]. But the good news here is that the Censor Board in India has given it a clean slate. If three kisses are a problem and you don’t want to show your kids that, then it’s your discretion not to take them to the cinemas for Mr X. But for all others, this will be an enjoyable film.
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