As
we
entered
the
hotel
lobby,
amid
the
entire
din,
we
found
Emraan
Hashmi
sitting
in
a
corner
with
legs
perched
on
the
arm
of
the
chair,
sporting
a
bright
yellow
T-shirt
that
read,
'Danger
Mouse'.
The
guy
who
romances
the
sexiest
women
on-screen
looks
a
tad
worn
out.
''I've
flown
in
from
Kolkata
and
haven't
had
much
sleep.
And
before
I
leave
for
Delhi
and
Jaipur,
I
must
party
in
Hyderabad!''
he
smiled
that
familiar
smile
before
settling
down
for
a
tete-a-tete.
For
a
moment,
let's
revert
to
flashback
mode:
He's
the
outsider
in
the
industry,
he's
not
a
Khan,
he's
done
some
deviant
films
like
Murder,
Gangster
and
Jannat
and
at
the
height
of
ascending
his
popularity
mountain,
he
tied
the
knot!
In
Hyderabad
to
promote
his
new
mystery
film
Raaz
–
The
Mystery
Continues
with
director-cousin
Mohit
Suri
and
producer
Mahesh
Bhatt,
Emraan
said,
''Hyderabad
is
an
important
destination
for
Bollywood.
Weirdly
though,
I've
had
strange
experiences
here.
The
first
time,
I
was
kissed
by
a
man,
the
next
time
by
a
girl
and
on
my
third
trip;
I
was
swooned
by
the
cheerleaders
of
the
local
team!''
The
serial
kisser
tag
refuses
to
leave
him.
Or,
does
Emraan
keep
it
alive?
Of
late
his
kisses
seem
to
be
on
the
wane.
In
Jannat,
he
hardly
got
to
peck.
''I'm
consciously
moving
away
from
that
image.
I
have
brought
down
the
passion
in
my
kisses.
It's
worked
for
me
but....
Sometimes,
it's
put
for
superstitious
reasons!''
he
confessed.
In
his
forthcoming
sequel
to
a
mystery,
Emraan
plays
a
painter
who
can
look
beyond
the
immediate.
While
Emraan
has
fared
well
with
thrillers,
his
tryst
with
comedy
hasn't
been
that
great.
At
least
not
after
Good
Boy
Bad
Boy.
''I
agree.
And
it's
even
made
me
cautious,''
he
said
sounding
unperturbed.
He's
also
not
perturbed
by
the
display
of
six
pack
and
eight
pack
abs
by
the
Khans.
He
flexes
his
muscles
and
said,
''I'd
never
like
to
be
like
them.
I
don't
have
to
look
up
to
them,
compete
with
them
or
emulate
them...
It's
easy
to
be
me.''
With
two
more
releases
set
for
this
year
–
Tu
Mile
and
Raftar,
he's
happy
with
the
way
his
career
is
moving
and
said
that
his
confidence
comes
from
not
getting
slotted
and
doing
movies
he
believes
in.
But
the
more
immediate
thing
racing
his
mind
and
you
can
see
it
is
catching
up
on
sleep.
Well,
it's
hard
to
pin
the
title
of
a
'star' but
as
you
go
down
the
elevator
and
see
the
long
queue
of
girls
waiting
to
meet
him,
you
know
he's
got
that
something.
He
knows
it
too.
Story first published: Tuesday, January 27, 2009, 12:33 [IST]