Happy Birthday Emraan Hashmi!

Well known for choosing films that garner critical acclaim rather than commercial success, BollyCurry gathers its readers today to celebrate the joyous occasion of Bollywood's uncrowned 'serial kisser', Emraan Hashmi's 35th birthday.

Hashmi was born on 24th March 1979 to Muslim father Anwer Hashmi and Roman-Catholic mother, Maherahh Hashmi. He graduated from Sydenham College and carried on to the University of Mumbai, where he graduated with a degree in Animation and Graphics. Being the grandson of Late Purnima Das Verma and nephew of ace director-producer duo, Mahesh Bhatt and Mukesh Bhatt, Hashmi was bound to make a name for himself in Bollywood. Although reluctant for a while, he finally accepted Uncle Mahesh Bhatt's offer and became an assistant director for Raaz (2002).

The year 2003 marked his Bollywood debut with Footpath. The movie failed miserably at the box office, although Hashmi's appearance was appreciated by numerous critics. His second movie, Murder (2004) marked his first commercial success and shot him to fame overnight. After this taste of success, there was no looking back for Hashmi. He went on to star in various movies under the Vishesh Films banner, all of which gave him a perfect title: Bollywood's Serial Kisser.

Among Hashmi's early successful movies are Gangster (2006), Jannat (2008) and Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai (2010). These movies marked yet another turning point in Hashmi's career after every critic applauded him for taking up roles that were different from mainstream Hindi cinema. In 2011, he appeared in Murder 2 and The Dirty Picture respectively, both of which garnered immense success critically and commercially. More recently, Hashmi starred in Shanghai (2012), Ghanchakkar(2013), Raja Natwarlal (2014) and Ungli (2014).

A man of rather less words, Hashmi has come a long way. Today, he is established among the leading actors of Bollywood. A famous person once said that 'it's not the quantity, but the quality that matters' - this quote may not work well for anyone else, but it sure suits the case of Hashmi, who has always been in the favour of doing roles that explore his potential as an actor and not just those which bring big numbers to the box office. From an intimate lover, to a police officer, or even an agitator, Emraan Hashmi is the man who can effortlessly pull off various shades in his performances.

On the personal front, Hashmi married his girlfriend Parveen Shahani in the year 2006, after sustaining a six-year long relationship with her. On 3rd February 2010, they were blessed with an adorable baby boy named Ayan. 

Hashmi's releases slated for 2015 include Danis Tanovic's Tigers, a socio-political drama based on a real life story, Mohit Suri's Hamari Adhuri Kahaani alongside Vidya Balan, a love story loosely based on Mahesh Bhatt's parents, and Mr. X, a science-fiction film opposite Amyra Dastur.

Before we sign off, we would like to know whether you are a true Hashmian? Test yourself.

1. Hashmi changed his name from Emraan to something else for a while. What was it?
2. Who is Hashmi's favourite Bollywood actor?
3. Where was the movie name Raja Natwarlal inspired from?
4. What is Hashmi's favourite perfume scent?
5. What is his dream destination that he wants to visit with Parveen and Ayan?

While you take a crack at the trivia, here's BollyCurry wishing Emraan Hashmi a very happy birthday, with the hope that he keeps shining and inspiring the younger generation in keeping it real.

Author: Sonia R.
Editor/s: Nisha M. and Gunia K.
Graphics: Shikha A.

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