
Both these films failed critically and commercially. He then acted in the crime thriller The Killer (adapted from the 2004 film Collateral) and the romance Dil Diya Hai. There is something lazy about his acting, by which I mean he makes the job look easy." For the film, Hashmi received his first Filmfare nomination for Best Performance in a Negative Role. There is no unnecessary bluster or melodrama, and he does a pretty believable job. Hashmi received positive reviews for his portrayal of an undercover detective called Aakash 's Raja Sen wrote, "His character is an understated one, and Hashmi manages to keep it that way. The film was a box-office success, grossing over ₹190 million (US$2.4 million) in India. He next appeared in Anurag Basu's romantic thriller Gangster, co-starring Kangana Ranaut and Shiney Ahuja. The film was a profitable production, but met with negative reviews from critics. Hashmi's first film in 2006 was Anant Mahadevan's thriller Aksar with Udita Goswani and Dino Morea. His performance garnered positive reviews from critics, with Taran Adarsh writing: "Emraan Hashmi makes a brief appearance and the actor is, like always, highly competent." Kalyug was a moderate success in India. Hashmi featured as Ali Bhai, a man who runs a sex shop.

Based on the sex industry, the film depicted the devastating effect that non-consensual pornographic films have on the subjects. Hashmi then took a supporting role in Mohit Suri's thriller Kalyug, alongside Kunal Khemu, Smilie Suri, Amrita Singh, Ashutosh Rana and Deepal Shaw. A review of his performance in BBC Online noted that he was "becoming fabulous with every film." Although the film did not succeed at the box office, his portrayal of Daksh Mittal (a young millionaire who falls in love with a bargirl) was generally well received. While shooting the film, Basu was diagnosed with blood cancer, so producer-director Mahesh Bhatt completed it. Hashmi next starred in Anurag Basu's romance, Tumsa Nahin Dekha, opposite Dia Mirza. Hashmi at an event with his uncle Mahesh Bhatt

Enacting the role of an obsessive lover with flourish, there's no denying that the narrative gets a major impetus thanks to Emraan's performance." Murder emerged as a financial success, with a domestic total of ₹250 million (US$3.1 million), becoming the ninth-highest-grossing film of the year in India. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama said about his performance: "Emraan Hashmi is fantastic in a role that seems tailor made for him. The following year he featured in Anurag Basu's erotic thriller Murder with Mallika Sherawat and Ashmit Patel. His performance in the film was appreciated by critics Gaurav Malani described him as the "scene-stealer" and praised his mannerisms. Co-starring alongside Aftab Shivdasani and Bipasha Basu, he portrayed the role of Raghu Shrivastav, a gangster. Hashmi made his acting debut in 2003, with Vikram Bhatt's thriller Footpath. Hashmi later earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Mumbai.Ĭareer 2003–2007: Debut and breakthrough After graduating from Jamnabai, he attended Sydenham College in Mumbai. Hashmi studied at the Jamnabai Narsee School. His other cousins are actresses Pooja Bhatt and Alia Bhatt, while another cousin is actor Rahul Bhatt. Hashmi is the cousin of director Mohit Suri, with whom he has collaborated in several films. Emraan is also a part of the Bhatt family because Meherbano was the sister of Shirin Mohammad Ali, the mother of producers Mahesh Bhatt and Mukesh Bhatt, who are thus Hashmi's uncles. Meherbano Mohammad Ali later married producer-director Bhagwan Das Varma, making Bhagwan Das Emraan’s step grandfather and Emraan a part of the Varma family. His paternal grandfather, Syed Shauqat Hashmi, migrated to Pakistan after the partition of India, while his grandmother, Meherbano Mohammad Ali (known by her screen name Purnima), was an actress, who stayed in India.

His father, Syed Anwar Hashmi, is a businessman, who also acted in the 1968 film Baharon Ki Manzil, and his mother, Maherrah Hashmi, was a homemaker. Hashmi was born on 24 March 1979, in Mumbai, Maharashtra into a Muslim family. 2.3 2013–present: Commercial setbacks and further projects.2.2 2008–2012: Commercial success and stardom.
