Ek Thi Daayan stars hope to cast a spell

It’s difficult to take an actor seriously if he’s often referred to as a ‘serial-kisser’ (Got to love Bollywood). But actor Emraan Hashmi, who earned that title when he started his career in the early 2000s -- remember, Bollywood was still very coy then — and has done the impossible. He has now manned up. On the acting front, that is.

With hits such as the gangster drama Once Upon A Time In Mumbai and doomed diva tale The Dirty Picture, Hashmi is now Bollywood’s man-of-the-moment and his credibility has soared. His latest film, the supernatural thriller Ek Thi Daayan, releass in the UAE this Thursday.

“When I started my career there was almost a frivolous approach of mine to select films,” said Hashmi in an interview with tabloid!. The nephew of legendary producer Mahesh Bhatt has a point.

In his first hit Murder (2004) which was Bollywood’s answer to the Hollywood betrayal saga Unfaithful, Hashmi nailed the smouldering, sexy guy act. His acting (if there was any) was clouded by a smoking hot Mallika Sherawat in the frame. He topped that up by choosing a slew of racy films that were essentially productions backed by his own clan — the Bhatts. It may have put him on the Bollywood radar, but A-list directors didn’t find him particularly appealing.

“Suddenly I realised that there was a responsibility. If they [fans] like you and follow your work, I owe them good films,” said Hashmi.

He believes his latest film — roughly translated as Once There Lived A Witch — ticks all those boxes. Directed by Kannan Iyer and produced by Vishal Bharadwaj and Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji Telefilms Ltd, Ek Thi Daayan is touted as an edgy horror film.

“It will change the genre of supernatural thriller in our country. It’s not your usual bhooth [ghost] story,” said Hashmi.

He’s on to something here. When it comes to horror films in Bollywood, there seems to be a paucity. Many films churned out as scary fare in Bollywood border on the ludicrous and add a whole new meaning to suspension of disbelief. And no one is more aware of that fact than the leading ladies of Ek Thi Daayan Huma Qureshi and Kalki Koechlin.

While Qureshi plays Hashmi’s love interest Tamara, Koechlin plays a bohemian music teacher.

“Bollywood is used to the kind of horror films where something jumps out or a scary monster follows them constantly. We don’t have a tradition of a Twilight series or Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Ek Thi Daayan will be a game changer because it’s a film that has elements of the fantastical and real,” said Qureshi, who has acclaimed films including Gangs Of Wasseypur under her belt.

“What defines Twilight is that their setting is real and contemporary. And within that you have these moments where you have to suspend disbelief… that works.”

The actress claims Ek Thi Daayan will fill the void in Bollywood that doesn’t have any hit vampire sagas.

Set in Mumbai, the story revolves around a magician/illusionist (Hashmi), his murky past and his belief that witches from his past life are out to get him.

Surprisingly, the stars don’t believe in the existence of witches in real life.

“I believe that beautiful women can cast their spell on you. But I don’t known whether witchcraft or sorcery exists. But I have heard it happens in Mumbai but it’s not as unbelievable as a woman flying on a broomstick outside your house. That’s exaggerated,” said Hashmi.

Qureshi and Koechlin said they believe in the powers of good and bad forces.

“I always need proof for everything. Something weird and supernatural needs to happen in front of my eyes, otherwise I can never believe it,” said Koechlin.

Considered to be Bollywood’s go-to person for dark, disturbed roles, Koechlin said Ek Thi Daayan offered her a much-needed breather.

“I play this chirpy, bubbly person who teaches music to children. It’s exactly what you don’t expect from me. She’s colourful and happy, but the question is whether she’s hiding something sinister behind her happy persona,” said Koechlin.

A self-confessed sucker for horror films, the actress says it takes her days to recover from watching a scary film.

“I am always the first one to scream in a theatre. It’s tough for me to fall asleep at nights, and I get paranoid — I start locking doors, can’t sleep alone. I get completely sucked into the story,” said Koechlin.

An unlikely Bollywood candidate, the Indian-bred French native with her pasty complexion and bee-stung lips made a crackling debut as the saucy, modern-day Chandramukhi in Dev D. She topped up the tragic love story with blockbusters including Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara in which she played a rich, socialite and Shaitaan in which she was an emotionally-disturbed teenager.

But it was not all smooth-sailing during the shooting, she said.

“At one point in the film, all the three ladies had to shoot a scene where we looked like a dayaan which meant we had to put on this horrible contact lenses that made your eyes fully black. So you had watery eyes and it was nasty. Also, you had to wear that pale make-up, so acting in a horror film has is perks, but this was clearly not one of them.”

If not witchcraft, Hashmi said he believes in gemology. He sports coloured rings on almost all his fingers.

“I am superstitious to a certain extent. I may not believe in ghosts but I believe in astrology and gemology which is science. I don’t know what each stone brings in, but it has worked for me. I am not taking any chances by removing them,” he said.

Hashmi’s earlier supernatural thriller Raaz 2: The Mystery Continues was however panned by critics, despite being a money-spinner.

“It’s my biggest hit in the UAE. The film was made on Rs150 million [Dh10 million] and made Rs850 million, that’s five times the investment,” he said. “But critics didn’t like it. But like I say, I don’t make my films for critics. They don’t contribute to my bank balance. When you have millions flocking to the theatre, it’s my ultimate vindication.”