Emraan Hashmi is a renowned Indian film actor who has made a significant impact in the Hindi language film industry. Throughout his illustrious career, Hashmi has received three Filmfare Award nominations and has solidified his position as one of the most popular and highest-paid actors in Hindi cinema.
Born and raised in Mumbai, Hashmi pursued higher education at the University of Mumbai before working as an assistant director on the 2002 horror film Raaz. He made his acting debut in 2003 with a leading role in the crime thriller Footpath, which received moderate box-office success.
Hashmi's breakthrough came in 2004, when he established himself as a leading actor in Hindi cinema with roles in successful films like Zeher, Aashiq Banaya Aapne, Aksar, and Gangster. However, he followed this with a series of films that underperformed at the box office, except for his critically acclaimed performance in the romantic drama Awarapan.
The year 2008 marked a turning point for Hashmi, as he played a conman in the crime drama Jannat: In Search of Heaven... He subsequently received widespread critical recognition for portraying unconventional characters in several commercially successful films, including the horror thriller Raaz: The Mystery Continues, the biographical drama The Dirty Picture, the psychological thriller Murder 2, the romantic comedy Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji, the crime thriller Jannat 2, the horror thriller Raaz 3, and the supernatural thriller Ek Thi Daayan.
Hashmi's performances in the action thriller Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai and the political thriller Shanghai garnered him two Best Supporting Actor nominations at the Filmfare Awards. He also received praise for his role in the 2015 drama Hamari Adhuri Kahani.
Hashmi is a part of the Bhatt family, which has a long history of involvement in the Bollywood industry. His grandmother Purnima's sister Shirin Banu was the partner of Nanabhai Bhatt, the patriarch of the Bhatt family, making Hashmi's uncles Mahesh Bhatt and Mukesh Bhatt, and his cousins Pooja Bhatt and Alia Bhatt, all part of the Bhatt family.
Additionally, Hashmi is also a part of the Varma family, which has been involved in the film industry since the late 1940s. Hashmi's grandmother Purnima married Bhagwan Das Varma, a founder of Varma Films and the patriarch of the Varma family.