Emraan Hashmi, who makes his digital debut with the spy series, Bard of Blood on Netflix, is excited with the prospect that streaming services have brought. The actor, in the adaptation of the book by Bilal Siddiqi, plays Kabir Anand—a spy who has turned a Shakespeare professor.
THE WEEK caught up with him earlier this week to speak about his experience of working on the show, embracing the digital space and more…
Has it been a conscious decision to break away from the kind of work you were doing and try something new?
I do not think there has been one particular time when it has been a conscious decision. Time and again, it’s been very important factors, and also to reinvent ourselves. Because reinvention spells growth for any creative person, or for that matter in any field. Even in cinema, I tried to do that. I have battled stereotypes. I have battled things like label and have tried to breakout of that label, which is tougher than you think it is. Turning against the tide when the whole world wants to capitalise on a [particular] persona and is constantly cashing in on that. It’s very important for an artiste to step out and crease into something different.
With the advent of streaming services that started off long back in the West and has only come to India now, I think this is the next obvious step for all of us. Probably not all of the industry because some actors and creative people still have a reservation. But each to their own. I think some people don’t understand the format, some feel it’s a longer format and they want to stick to films. Whatever, the reason may be, I think for me it’s very important. The medium is not important, the outlet is not important, what’s important is to keep evolving—constantly test yourself, try your hand at different characters. I think that spells growth for me now. That’s why the obvious choice was Netflix, and of course the huge subscription base and its reach.
Has the process been any different?
The process is not different. I think it’s similar to films. It takes the same prep, probably a little more. The mould of the character is different, so it’s more author-backed. Not every Bollywood film comes with author-backed character. But for this, the duration is more compared to films. The arc is better. You get more screen time and more time to play out nuances. It was great playing Kabir Anand. I don’t think I would have had so much fun playing Kabir if it was for the cinema screen because of the sheer length. Also, the adaptation of the book, which we didn’t edit too much. We kept the book intact for the series
Kirti Kulhari, your co-star from Bard of Blood, told me in an interview that you are the senior-most in the cast, and also the only star…
(Laughs) I don’t see it that way. I have learnt so much from Kirti, Sobhita (Dhulipala), Vineet (Singh), Jaideep (Ahlawat) and the rest of the cast. When you are new, for the first couple of years, there is certain rawness in your performance that you can’t recreate. There’s unpredictability when you come in, which I have had, and a lot of people who have been around for five-seven years. Something happens to that. Not that you become less of an actor, you learn a skill set, which is great and you are more efficient. But there’s something else to the first few formative years, the first set of films, that I really admire and I want to learn from that.
But yes, I have been in the industry for 16 years, and I think it’s been a fascinating journey. I never wanted to be an actor. And it happened by accident. But then when I found it, I really felt that this is my calling and this is something I am really passionate about. I am just so blessed that whatever the fate of the film—success or failure—I have always got an opportunity to work with great people and do wonderful work. There’s not been an year where I have been sitting idle. I have always got an opportunity to face the camera and that in itself is a gift for any actor.
What was it like playing Kabir Anand? Was there a pressure because you are the most popular name in the cast?
It was exciting. I was excited to play Kabir Anand because I had read the book and loved it. There’s a different kind of excitement. When films release, there’s a box-office number, which is attached to it. There’s a different kind of feeling that you get on a Friday when your film releases; a lot of things are judged [based] on that. You quantify your film by the box-office number, which I think is very unfair. I don’t know what the feeling is because I haven’t yet reached the Friday for my Netflix show. But I know the panics are going to be the same, it might not be for the box-office numbers but I think I would be for acceptability, for the applause and praise. We would love it if the show in which we all have put almost a year, pans out well.
I don’t feel the pressure with these things though. I do feel the pressure on a certain day when something is going out, even more so now with social media. You feel [pressure] about the collective perception and how they review the product.
You have also been a rebel of sorts, speaking against award shows, and a lot of other things in the industry. Do you see any changes in the industry now?
Yes and no. A lot of producers and a lot of creative people still think the same way. Anyone who dares to be different has hit the wall. I keep saying conformist are people who don’t want anything to happen for the first time, and there are a lot of conformists in the industry. I also think conforming comes from a fear of failure. That’s why some people in the industry are fearful of OTT platforms, thinking about how it’s going to affect cinema or this or that. But I think there’s room for everything. But there have been changes too, great changes. Concept films are getting made now. Lot of actors have work. Lot of fresh talent is coming on-board and doing some wonderful jobs and stuff that’s very very inspiring. Then, you have the run-of-the-mill things, like the award ceremonies, which are a different world. To each its own. I don’t want them. For me the biggest reward is the process itself. I don’t need a jury to tell me how good or bad I am. I understand some people’s tonal quality, if they are faking a complement, or they like it. My family and my friends have kept me grounded. And I look for that barometer and for that balance. People who like the award show, great. I can’t sit there for three hours. I just walk out of them, it’s just very ill-mannered. I do anything and everything where I am authentically myself. I won’t subject myself to anything where I am not comfortable. Yes, discomfort is part of the growth process but not this kind of discomfort, which you don’t believe in. When you believe and that’s putting you in some discomfort then you are willing to go forward with that.
You started your own production company earlier this year with Cheat India. Do you plan to do a show for a digital platform?
That’s a little far off because I want to concentrate on acting and yeah if I get a show where I want to collaborate with someone, could be an original series, could be another film, I would definitely do that. But I don’t know if I would act in that because it’s a tough job. It’s a big commitment, right from the day of conceptualisation.
