Emraan Hashmi, who is known for his versatile roles in Hindi cinema, has recently opened up about the differences between Bollywood and the South film industry. The actor, who is making his Telugu debut with the upcoming film OG opposite Pawan Kalyan, shared his views on how the South filmmakers are more disciplined and efficient than their Bollywood counterparts.
In an interview with The Times of India, Hashmi said that he was impressed by the way the South industry works, especially in terms of budgeting, storytelling, and visual effects. He said, “I think South filmmakers are way more disciplined than we are (in Hindi cinema). Every penny that they spend on their film shows on screen. I think we often spend money in the wrong areas in Hindi films, and it doesn’t eventually translate on screen. They have finesse in their films when it comes to VFX, the scale, and the choice of path-breaking stories. We have some ground to cover before we can match that, and we have a lot to learn from the way they make films.”
Hashmi also revealed that he never imagined himself doing a film in the South, but he was drawn to the script and the character of OG, which is directed by Sujeeth. He praised the director for creating the film on an “enormous canvas” and said that he enjoyed playing the antagonist in the film. He also expressed his excitement to work with Pawan Kalyan, who is one of the biggest stars in the Telugu industry.
Emraan Hashmi Instagram post
The actor, who has been in the industry for over two decades, also spoke about his journey and how he broke his image of a romantic hero by taking up diverse and challenging roles. He said that he did not want to be boxed in a certain type of cinema and that he consciously made an effort to try something different. He said, “It’s actually a huge trap. A lot of actors from the West also probably bail out from doing characters like Bond, because you gradually get boxed in sometimes. They say it is detrimental to your career because people can’t see you as anything else when you come out of that.”
Hashmi, who has received critical acclaim for his performances in films like Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai, Shanghai, The Dirty Picture, and Tiger 3, said that he likes playing grey characters and villains, but he does not want to do them consistently. He said that he wants to keep exploring different genres and characters and keep surprising the audience.
OG is slated to release on April 14, 2024. The film is a political thriller that revolves around the power struggle between a politician and a businessman. The film also stars Mouni Roy, Rajeev Khandelwal, Naseeruddin Shah, and Shriya Saran in pivotal roles. The film is produced by Karan Johar under his banner Dharma Productions.
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