Emraan Hashmi

Emraan Hashmi (pronounced [ɪmraːn ˈɦaːʃmiː]; born 24 March 1979) is an Indian film actor who appears mainly in Hindi language films. Before starting his career as an actor, Emraan Hashmi worked with Vishesh Films as an assistant director on Vikram Bhatt's Raaz (2002). In 2003, he made his acting debut with Bhatt's Footpath and followed it with the erotic thriller Murder (2004), which emerged as a box office success.

Hashmi subsequently appeared in several hit films, mostly under the Vishesh Films banner. Critics, however, labelled him as a "one note actor" and criticized his repetitive roles. These characters also earned him the "serial kisser" title and gained him the title of "Hit Machine". Hashmi eventually garnered praise for his performances in Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai (2010), The Dirty Picture (2011), Shanghai (2012) and Ek Thi Daayan (2013). He has established himself as a leading contemporary actor of Hindi cinema.