Emraan Hashmi celebrates his 42nd birthday today.
His latest crime-action film ‘Mumbai Saga’ has hit the theatres and is doing a pretty good job of luring people to the big screens, considering the pandemic scenario.
Be it Murder, Raaz: The Mystery Continues, or Mr. X, Emraan and Mahesh Bhatt-produced movies go way back! So it may interest you to know that Emraan had once turned down Mahesh’s daughter Alia Bhatt’s movie.
And before you wonder if there was anything wrong between the two stars…. Then NO! Turns out Emraan had a perfectly valid reason for giving a stern refusal. As per India TV report, the project in question was a ROM-COM, which is why Hashmi turned it down.
Now, obviously, Emraan wouldn’t want to play a romantic lead opposite Alia… given that she is his COUSIN. How are they related exactly? Well, Emraan’s paternal grandmother Meherbano Mohammad Ali became Purnima Das Varma after marriage to producer Bhagwan Das Varma. Purnima was the sister of Shirin Mohammad Ali, the mother of producers Mahesh Bhatt and Mukesh Bhatt, who are thus Hashmi’s uncles! Which makes Emraan and Alia cousins.
Emraan had also once said that though he would love to work with Alia he would never romance her – “I can only work with her as a brother… Any other thing would make me sick. I can’t romance my cousin and I don’t think anyone has done that; it would be awkward.”