Wednesday,
July
04,
2007
UNI:
His
sizzling
'Lover
Boy'
portrayals
in
films
like
Murder,
Aashiq
Banaya
Aapne,
Aksar
and
Gangster
have
won
him
a
huge
female
fan
following
in
the
country.
Critics
may
dismiss
Emraan
Hashmi
as
a
'serial
kisser'
but
there
is
no
denying
the
fact
that
his
'lover
boy'
persona
on
screen
has
endeared
him
to
many
a
female
fan,
who
loved
to
watch
his
exuding
sexuality
in
films
like
Murder
and
Aashiq
Banaya
Aapne.
For
Emraan,
however,
his
ubiquitous
image
of
a
'lover
boy'
is
an
''image
trap''
he
is
desperate
to
get
out
of.
''Casting
or
presenting
an
actor
before
the
public
in
a
particular
image
or
set
image
is
a
way
for
the
media
and
the
filmmakers
to
exploit
his
popularity
in
that
image
in
a
bid
to
draw
in
the
audiences.
This
is
what
happened
with
me
with
a
series
of
films
in
the
recent
past
featuring
me
in
the
'lover
boy'
type
of
roles.
However,
I
must
say
that
I
have
been,
for
quite
some
time
now,
feeling
in
a
rut
being
typecast
in
such
roles,''
Emraan
said.
Fortunately
for
the
actor,
his
new
film
Awarapan
has
him
play
a
''gangster
with
a
heart
full
of
love'',
who
helps
free
a
Pakistani
girl
from
the
clutches
of
human
trafficking,
a
role
far
removed
from
his
portrayals
till
date.
On
the
eve
of
Awarapan
release,
Emraan
said,
"Somehow,
I
was
getting
sick
of
what
I
was
doing.
Somewhere
inside
me,
I
felt
that
if
I
want
to
last
in
the
industry,
I
would
have
to
do
something
different." Thanking
the
Bhatts
for
coming
to
his
rescue
by
offering
him
a
film,
which
could
help
him
get
out
of
his
'lover
boy'
image,
Emraan
said,
"Thankfully,
for
the
first
time,
I
will
not
be
seen
kissing
in
this
film."
He
said
the
response
to
the
film
so
far
showed
that
cinegoers
had
appreciated
him
in
his
new
'avataar'.
"After
the
release
of
Awarapan
on
June
29,
I
have
got
hundreds
of
SMSes
complementing
me
on
my
performance
as
the
gangster
Shivam
who
undergoes
a
change
in
heart
through
the
power
of
love.
Also
the
film
has
evoked
an
overwhelming
response,
specially
from
the
overseas
audience.
It
is
the
kind
of
reaction
that
I
got
after
Murder," Emraan
said.
"I'd
like
to
say
that
Awarapan
has
definitely
given
a
second
lease
of
life
to
my
career.
Henceforth,
my
endeavour
would
be
to
explore
different
kinds
of
roles
and
diverse
genres
of
films," Emraan
said.
Talking
about
Awarapan,
the
actor
said,
"It
is
a
interesting
story
in
which
a
Hindu
saves
a
Pakistani
girl
from
the
clutches
of
human
trafficking.
Though
it
was
a
slow
starter,
it
is
slowly
picking
up.
I
feel
such
a
subject
has
the
potential
to
pick
up
by
word
of
mouth."
Among
his
forthcoming
films
is
Zannat,
a
film
about
cricket
betting
where
Emraan
plays
a
cricket
bookie.
Then
there
is
the
sequel
of
Raaz
which
is
a
horror
film.
The
film
is
still
in
scripting
and
the
full
cast
to
be
finalised.