Emraan Hashmi on being annoyed with the ‘serial kisser’ tag: “I wanted people to take me slightly seriously”

Emraan Hashmi on being annoyed with the ‘serial kisser’ tag: “I wanted people to take me slightly seriously”

• Emraan Hashmi reflects on his "serial kisser" tag and its impact on his career
• He admits the label became a marketing tool, overshadowing his acting range
• Hashmi says he has now made peace with the tag despite initial frustration

Did our AI summary help?

As a throwback to one of the most talked-about phases of his career, Emraan Hashmi recently looked back at the time when he was almost inseparable from the “serial kisser” tag. While the label became a pop-culture phenomenon in the 2000s and helped define an era of Bollywood music and romance, the actor has admitted that it was not always something he was comfortable with.

Emraan, who has spent over two decades in the film industry, addressed the subject during a past conversation on Ranveer Allahbadia’s podcast.

Revisiting that phase, he revealed that the tag began to bother him when he wanted to grow beyond a fixed image. “There was a time when I got a little bit annoyed when I wanted people to take me slightly seriously,” he said, recalling the period when his work was often reduced to a single identity.

Looking back at his early career between 2003 and 2012, Emraan explained how his on-screen image slowly turned into a brand. “See, a large part of my career 2003 to 2012, is chhavi ko is tarah nichoda gaya tha ki wo ek label ban gaya tha, wo marketing main istemaal kiya jata tha,” he shared. According to the actor, the image was stretched to the point where it became a selling tool rather than a creative choice.

He recalled how certain elements were added to films purely to match expectations. “Har film main bina wajah cheezein daali jati thi,” Emraan said, adding that the media also played a role in reinforcing the tag. “Aur media mein bhi jab aata tha ek tag line, toh mere naam se pehle wo tag aata tha – Serial Kisser,” he remembered, noting how the label followed him everywhere.

Also Read: When Gaurav Khanna's wife Akanksha Chamola spoke about not wanting kids on Bigg Boss 19, said "Baccha paida karna halwa banana nahi hota hai"

In hindsight, Emraan admitted that he does not blame anyone else for it. “And this is my own gift to myself. So, I am not blaming anyone else,” he said. Still, the frustration grew when he tried to move on to more layered roles. “Just when you cross that phase where those films go on and everything happens, then you want to go to your next phase,” he explained, adding that he wanted his acting range to be noticed.

However, even when he deliberately chose different kinds of films, the comparison continued. “After seeing that, they again come back to the same tag and say, there was no such scene in this,” Emraan said, recalling how his efforts to evolve were often overshadowed by past perceptions.

Summing up his thoughts in this throwback moment, Emraan underlined the need for change and variety in an actor’s journey. “I am presenting something new. I am an actor. It is my job to play different characters.

Why do you want to see the same again?” he said. While the label once annoyed him, Emraan added that he has since made peace with it. “Because of this, I used to get a little annoyed. But otherwise, I am chill about it. I do not have many issues with it.”

Today, as audiences revisit his old films with nostalgia, Emraan Hashmi’s reflections serve as a reminder of an actor who constantly pushed to be seen beyond a single tag.