Background and career
Syed Emraan Anwar Hashmi (pronounced [ɪmraːn ˈɦaːʃmi]; born 24 March 1979) is an Indian actor who primarily works in Hindi cinema. Initially recognized for performing bold scenes, he has since taken on dramatic roles in a variety of genres, appearing in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list in 2013. Hashmi has received four Filmfare Award nominations.
After making his acting debut with the 2003 crime-thriller Footpath, Hashmi followed with starring roles in several successful thrillers primarily produced by Bhatt brothers Mahesh and Mukesh under Vishesh Films, including Murder (2004), Zeher, Kalyug, and Aashiq Banaya Aapne (all 2005), Aksar and Gangster (both 2006), and the cult classic Awarapan (2007). This was followed by a period of further success in the genre with Jannat (2008), The Dirty Picture (2011), Murder 2 (2011), and Jannat 2 (2012), as well as the horror films Raaz: The Mystery Continues (2009) and Raaz 3 (2012). Throughout the mid-2000s to 2010s, Hashmi's filmography became renowned for its hit soundtracks, associating him with decade-defining music. Many of these films also featured him French kissing his female co-stars, a rarity in the industry at the time. This earned him the "serial kisser" moniker.
In the following years, Hashmi diversified his roles and earned three Filmfare Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor for his performances in Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai (2010), Shanghai (2012), and Tiger 3 (2023), and enjoyed acclaim with the biographical dramas Azhar (2016) and Haq (2025). After a period of expansion to streaming with Taskaree (2026), and a foray into Telugu cinema with an antagonistic part in the action thriller They Call Him OG (2025), a career resurgence as sole lead followed with the sequel Awarapan 2 (2026).
In addition to acting, Hashmi has launched an auto-biographical book that dealt with his son's illness, and is an endorser for brands and products. He is married to Parveen Shahani.
Hashmi was born on 24 March 1979, in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. His father, Anwar Hashmi, is a businessman, who also acted in the mystery film Baharon Ki Manzil (1968), and his mother, Maherrah Hashmi, was a homemaker. His paternal grandfather, Syed Shaukat Hashmi, migrated to Pakistan after the partition of India, where he worked as a journalist and as a film director, while his grandmother, Meherbhano Mohammad Ali (known by her screen name Purnima), was an actress, who stayed in India. Meherbano Mohammad Ali later married producer-director Bhagwan Das Varma, making him Hashmi's step-grandfather and Hashmi a part of the Varma family. Hashmi is also a part of the Bhatt family as Meherbano was the sister of actress Shirin Mohammad Ali, the mother of producers Mahesh Bhatt and Mukesh Bhatt, who are thus Hashmi's uncles. Hashmi is the second cousin of director Mohit Suri, with whom he has collaborated in several films, actresses Pooja Bhatt and Alia Bhatt and actor Rahul Bhatt.
Hashmi studied at the Maneckji Cooper Education Trust School. Later on, he graduated in Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com.) from Sydenham College in the University of Mumbai.
2003–2007: Breakthrough with erotic-thrillers
Hashmi made his acting debut under the tutelage of the Bhatt brothers with Vikram Bhatt's thriller Footpath (2003), alongside Bipasha Basu and Aftab Shivdasani, where he played a Raghu Shrivastav, a gangster. His performance was appreciated by critics with Gaurav Malani describing him as the "scene-stealer" and praised his mannerisms. The film was a critical and commercial failure. The following year, he made his breakthrough with Anurag Basu's erotic thriller Murder (2004), co-starring Mallika Sherawat and Ashmit Patel. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama wrote about his performance "Hashmi is fantastic in a role that seems tailor-made for him. Potraying an obsessive lover flourish, there's not denying that the narrative gets a major impetus thanks to Hashmi's performance". Murder emerged as a commercial success, grossing a domestic total of ₹250 million (US$2.6 million), becoming the eighth highest-grossing film of the year. He also starred in Anurag's musical romance Tumsa Nahin Dekha opposite Dia Mirza. The film was a box-office disaster, although Hashmi's performance received mixed-to-positive reviews. A review from BBC Online noted that he was "becoming fabulous with every film".
In 2005, Hashmi appeared in four films. His first release of the year Zeher, a mystery thriller directed by Suri in his debut and produced by Mahesh Bhatt, was an adaptation of the 2003 American film Out Of Time. The film was a moderate success at the box office. The songs 'Agar Tum Mil Jao' & 'Jaane Jaa Jaane Jaa' were chartbusters while other songs were also extremely popular with the song 'Woh Lahme' being a big rage among the youth. His second release of that year was the romantic-thriller Aashiq Banaya Aapne directed by Aditya Datt. Inspired by the 2001 American film Tangled, it co-starred Sonu Sood and debutant Tanushree Dutta, and followed a love triangle between their characters. The film, his first not to be produced by his uncles, received positive reviews, and was a sleeper hit. His third film was the crime-thriller Chocolate, directed by Vivek Agnihotri in his directorial debut. Hashmi played a supporting role in an ensemble cast of Anil Kapoor, Suniel Shetty, Irrfan Khan, Arshad Warsi, Tanushree Dutta, and Sushma Reddy. The film was inspired by the 1995 American film The Usual Suspects. His final film of the year was a supporting role in Suri's action thriller Kalyug, once again produced by his uncles under Vishesh Films, alongside Kunal Khemu, Smilie Suri, Amrita Singh, Ashutosh Rana, and Deepal Shaw. Based on the sex industry, the film depicted the devastating effect that non-consensual pornographic films have on the subjects. Hashmi featured as Ali Bhai, a man who runs a sex shop. His performance, and the film, garnered positive reviews from critics, with Taran Adarsh writing: "Hashmi makes a brief, but solid, appearance and the actor is, like always, highly competent." Kalyug emerged as a moderate commercial success in India.
Hashmi's first appearance in 2006 was Anant Mahadevan's erotic thriller Aksar alongside Udita Goswami and Dino Morea. The film was a commercial success and well received from critics. His second release was Anurag's romantic thriller Gangster: A Love Story co-starring debutante Kangana Ranaut and Shiney Ahuja in lead roles. The film emerged as a commercial success at the box-office, grossing over ₹190 million (US$2.0 million) in India. It opened to positive reviews from critics upon release, with Hashmi's portrayal of Akash Kapadia, an undercover detective, receiving particular praise. Rediff.com's Raja Sen wrote, "Hashmi's character is an understated one, and he manages to keep it that way. There is no unnecessary bluster or melodrama, and he does a pretty believable job. There is something lazy about his acting, by which I mean he makes the job look easy." Hashmi's performance in the film earned him a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role. His next releases, the crime-thriller The Killer (adapted from the 2004 film Collateral) and the romance Dil Diya Hai, both emerged as critical and commercial failures.
In 2007, Hashmi appeared in three films. His first release was the comedy Good Boy Bad Boy alongside Tusshar Kapoor, Isha Sharvani and Tanushree Dutta. The film received negative reviews from critics upon release and emerged as a commercial failure at the box-office. He next played a gangster in Suri's neo-noir action drama Awarapan (2007) alongside Mrinalini Sharma and Shriya Saran. The film received positive reviews from critics upon release, with particular praise directed towards Hashmi's performance. Writing for the Hindustan Times, critic Khalid Mohamed described it as "intense and believable". Subhash K Jha wrote: "...Hashmi [is] an actor who conceals more than he reveals on screen. There is an inherent pain in his personality that this film taps better than anything he has done earlier. This film marks the emergence of a major talent." Despite positive critical reception, it emerged as a commercial disaster at the box-office. However over the years, Awarapan gained cult status, primarily due to Hashmi's performance. In Pakistan in particular, following Awarapan he became "the most sought after hero", even ahead of the Khan's when it comes to the local box-office. His final release of the year was the romantic thriller The Train, co-starring Geeta Basra and debutante Sayali Bhagat in lead roles. Narrating the story of a married couple caught in a complex extramarital love triangle, the film received mixed reviews from critics upon release, and emerged as a commercial failure at the box-office.
Hashmi's only film appearance in 2008 was debutant Kunal Deshmukh's crime romance Jannat. Depicting a love story set against the backdrop of match fixing, the film also starred Sonal Chauhan, Javed Sheikh and Sameer Kochhar. Both the film and Hashmi's performance as Arjun Dixit, a bookmaker, received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics; Taran Adarsh commented that "[t]he actor displays the gamut of emotions with aplomb, [and] he changes expressions like a chameleon changes colors. Jannat is yet another turning point in his career." The film emerged as a commercial success in India, with revenues of over ₹420 million (US$4.4 million).
In 2009, Hashmi appeared in Suri's supernatural horror film Raaz: The Mystery Continues, alongside Ranaut and Adhyayan Suman. Hashmi's portrayal of a painter, and the film, received mixed-to-positive reviews; The Times of India's Nikhat Kazmi wrote: "Hashmi is fast emerging as the Colin Farrell of Indian cinema: completely mercurial, eclectic and unpredictable. As the brooding, prescient painter, who paints death on his canvas and falls in love with one of subjects, he is suitably aggrieved, desperate and afraid." Its domestic collection exceeded ₹340 million (US$3.5 million), emerging as a commercial success at the box-office. He then starred opposite Soha Ali Khan in Deshmukh's romantic drama disaster Tum Mile, which narrated a love story set against the backdrop of the 2005 Maharashtra floods. The film received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics upon release; however, it emerged as a commercial failure at the box-office.
The following year, Hashmi featured in Milan Luthria's period action drama Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai with an ensemble cast including Ajay Devgan, Kangana Ranaut, Prachi Desai and Randeep Hooda. The Ekta Kapoor-produced film, which depicted the rise of organised crime in Mumbai, saw Hashmi play Shoaib Khan, a character inspired by real-life gangster Dawood Ibrahim. With a domestic revenue of over ₹780 million (US$8.1 million), Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai emerged as a commercial success at the box-office, ranking as the seventh highest-grossing Hindi film of the year. The film received positive reviews from critics upon release, with particular praise for Hashmi's performance. Blessy Chettiar of Daily News and Analysis described him as "top class", while Komal Nahta remarked: "This is easily Hashmi's best performance so far. If he is cute in the romantic scenes, he is believably tough in the action and dramatic scenes." For his performance, Hashmi received his first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. His next release that year was Suri's action thriller Crook, based on the controversy surrounding racial violence against Indians in Australia. However, the film was panned by critics and emerged as a commercial disaster at the box-office.
Hashmi began 2011 with Madhur Bhandarkar's romantic comedy Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji alongside Devgn, Omi Vaidya, Shazahn Padamsee, Tisca Chopra and Shruti Hassan. The film, and Hashmi's performance, received mixed reviews from critics upon release, and emerged as a commercial failure at the box-office. He next featured in Suri's psychological action thriller Murder 2, alongside Jacqueline Fernandez. The film, and Hashmi's performance, received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics. Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express wrote: "Hashmi gets to do what he does best, glowering at the men, bedding the ladies, and towards the end, going head to head with the bad guy [...] he goes through the film with his usual smart one-liners containing equal amounts of bluster and fluster." Murder 2 emerged as a commercial success at the box-office, with a domestic revenue of over ₹476 million (US$4.9 million). His final film appearance that year was Luthria's biographical musical drama The Dirty Picture, featuring Vidya Balan as the controversial Indian actress Silk Smitha, alongside Naseeruddin Shah and Tusshar Kapoor. He portrayed Abraham, the narrator, who proclaims himself to be the protagonist's biggest enemy. The film opened to widespread critical acclaim, with praise for Hashmi's performance; CNN-IBN's Rajeev Masand wrote: "Hashmi is highly restrained as Abraham, a director who believes in film as art, and who abhors the idea of inserting steamy numbers in his movie to lure in the crowds." However, several critics were sceptical about his role in the film; Soumyadipta Banerjee from Daily News and Analysis considered it "out of place". It emerged as a major commercial success with a worldwide revenue of over ₹1.14 billion (US$12 million). Murder 2 and The Dirty Picture ranked as the ninth and seventh highest-grossing Hindi films of the year.
