Emraan Hashmi: Biography of the Actor

Early life and the Bhatt connection

Syed Emraan Anwar Hashmi was born in Bombay, now Mumbai, on 24 March 1979. His father, Anwar Hashmi, was a businessman who had acted in the 1968 film Baharon Ki Manzil, and his mother, Maherrah, was a homemaker. His grandmother was the actress Meherbano Mohammad Ali, known on screen as Purnima.

Purnima's sister, Shirin Mohammad Ali, was the mother of the producers Mahesh Bhatt and Mukesh Bhatt. That family link brought Emraan close to Vishesh Films, the Bhatt brothers' production company, which would shape the first decade of his career. The director Mohit Suri, who later made several of his hits, is his cousin.

Emraan studied at the Maneckji Cooper Education Trust School in Mumbai and then at Sydenham College, where he took a commerce degree. He worked as an assistant director before stepping in front of the camera.

Education and early work

Hashmi went to the Maneckji Cooper Education Trust School in Juhu and then to Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics, part of the University of Mumbai, where he completed a Bachelor of Commerce. Growing up around Vishesh Films gave him an early view of how Hindi films were made, and he has said he was more interested in working behind the camera than acting. He trained as an assistant director, including on Vikram Bhatt's Raaz (2002), before Mahesh Bhatt persuaded him to take a lead role.

Footpath and Murder

Emraan made his acting debut in Vikram Bhatt's crime thriller Footpath (2003), alongside Aftab Shivdasani and Bipasha Basu. Critics noticed him even though the film itself failed. The breakthrough came a year later with Anurag Basu's Murder (2004), an erotic thriller co-starring Mallika Sherawat and Ashmit Patel. Murder was a surprise commercial success, and its songs, including "Bheege Honth Tere", became huge hits.

That combination of a tight, modest-budget thriller with a strong soundtrack became the formula for his rise. Films such as Zeher, Kalyug and Aashiq Banaya Aapne (all 2005) and Gangster (2006) kept him in demand. Gangster, again directed by Anurag Basu, and Mohit Suri's Awarapan (2007), in which he played Shivam, a hitman with a conscience, are still remembered for their music; Awarapan in particular gained a cult following long after release.

The "serial kisser" image and the music

Many of Emraan's early films featured on-screen kissing scenes that were rare in mainstream Hindi cinema at the time, and the media nicknamed him the "serial kisser". He has said in interviews that he grew tired of the label. Just as often, though, audiences associated him with songs: tracks from Murder, Gangster, Awarapan, Jannat, Raaz: The Mystery Continues and Murder 2 were among the most played Hindi film songs of their years.

Jannat to Shanghai: a run of success

Kunal Deshmukh's Jannat (2008), in which he played a bookmaker caught up in cricket match-fixing, was a hit, and Mohit Suri's horror film Raaz: The Mystery Continues (2009) followed. In 2010 Emraan took a different turn in Milan Luthria's Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai, playing Shoaib Khan, a gangster loosely inspired by Dawood Ibrahim, opposite Ajay Devgn. The role earned him strong reviews and his first Filmfare nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

In 2011 he had two hits: Murder 2, and Milan Luthria's The Dirty Picture, in which he played a filmmaker opposite Vidya Balan. 2012 was one of his busiest years. He starred in Jannat 2 and the horror sequel Raaz 3, and gave one of his most praised performances in Dibakar Banerjee's political thriller Shanghai, as a small-town videographer who uncovers a conspiracy. Shanghai brought him another Filmfare nomination. The steady stream of new releases in 2012 is reflected in the photo shoots, wallpapers and promotional stills that fan sites, including the old CareerMasti, published that year.

Changing direction

From 2013 Emraan increasingly chose dramas and thrillers outside the Vishesh Films template. He appeared in Ek Thi Daayan and Ghanchakkar (both 2013) and played the cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin in the biopic Azhar (2016). Later work included the thriller The Body (2019) and streaming projects. In Tiger 3 (2023), opposite Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif, he played the villain Aatish Rehman, which brought him his third Filmfare nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Streaming, the South and a 2025 run

The 2020s brought Hashmi some of his most varied work. He led the Netflix spy series Bard of Blood (2019) and later moved between Hindi films, streaming and the Telugu industry. In 2025 he played a Border Security Force officer in the fact-based thriller Ground Zero, made his Telugu debut as the villain opposite Pawan Kalyan in OG, and starred with Yami Gautam in the courtroom drama Haq, released on 7 November 2025 and inspired by the Shah Bano case.

Latest and upcoming projects (as of November 2026)

In January 2026 Hashmi led the Netflix crime series Taskaree: The Smuggler's Web, released on 14 January. On 14 August 2026 he returned as Shivam in Awarapan 2, a sequel to his 2007 cult film. His next release, Gunmaaster G9, was scheduled for 27 November 2026 when this page was checked.

Selected filmography

Awards and nominations

Hashmi has received four Filmfare Award nominations but has not won a Filmfare Award.

Family and The Kiss of Life

Emraan married Parveen Shahani in December 2006, after a long relationship. Their son, Ayaan, was born on 3 February 2010. In January 2014 Ayaan was diagnosed with cancer, and Emraan stepped back from work to be with him during treatment. In 2016 he published The Kiss of Life: How a Superhero and My Son Defeated Cancer, co-written with Bilal Siddiqi, describing the family's experience. Ayaan was declared cancer-free in 2019. Emraan has since supported cancer-awareness campaigns.

His mother, Maherrah, died in March 2016, during the filming of Azhar.

Family

Hashmi's father, Anwar Hashmi, had a brief acting career in the late 1960s before going into business, and his mother, Maherrah, was a homemaker; she died in March 2016. Through his paternal grandmother, the actress Purnima, he belongs to the wider Bhatt film family: the producers Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt are his uncles, and the directors Mohit Suri and Vishesh Bhatt are among his cousins. Actress Pooja Bhatt and Alia Bhatt are also relatives through that family tree.

He and Parveen Shahani, a former teacher, were together for six and a half years before marrying in an Islamic ceremony in December 2006. Their only child, Ayaan, was born in February 2010. The family lives in Mumbai.

Net worth

CareerMasti has not found a credible published estimate of Emraan Hashmi's net worth, such as a Hurun or Forbes figure, so we do not give one. Figures that circulate online are not sourced to any disclosed accounts.

Legacy

Emraan Hashmi's career shows how a performer typecast early can widen his range without losing his audience. The songs from his 2000s films remain staples of Hindi pop culture, while performances in Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai, Shanghai and Tiger 3 earned him respect as a character actor.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. Wikipedia: Emraan Hashmi (cross-checked dates, films and family)
2. Wikipedia: Shanghai (2012 film)
3. Hollywood Reporter India: Taskaree premiere date
4. News18: Haq release and streaming
5. Pinkvilla: Gunmaaster G9 release (27 November 2026)
6. Filmfare: 69th Filmfare Awards nominations (Tiger 3)

Facts checked against the sources above by Tulasiram Pemmadi on 8 November 2026 (IST). Where reliable sources disagree, the article says so. Spotted an error? See our corrections page or email contact@nextplayintel.com.

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