Emraan Hashmi on playing smuggler in Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai to catching one in Taskaree: 'Difficulty is in keeping it fresh when there are so many stories' | Exclusive

Even though 2026 has only just started, Emraan Hashmi has already claimed it as his own. Haq was the actor's critically acclaimed legal drama, now streaming on Netflix, and he's clearly not slowing down as he gets ready for the release of his latest series, Taskaree: The Smuggler's Web, on January 14. Over the course of his twenty-plus-year career, Hashmi has expertly gone from being a 2000s "Serial Kisser" to a dominant figure in the streaming age. His most recent series takes him to the Indian Customs Department, a high-pressure, "edge of chaos" setting never previously seen on screen.

While discussing the "mind-boggling" pace of filming across nine countries and his role as Superintendent Arjun Meena, an officer capturing smugglers, fifteen years after his iconic turn as a smuggler in Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai, Hashmi opens up about his first-ever collaboration with the meticulous Neeraj Pandey in this exclusive sit-down with OTTplay. In addition to the uniforms and insignia, Hashmi begins filming the highly anticipated Awarapan 2 and gives fans a rare, nostalgic look at the return of his beloved character, Shivam Pandit. Astute, open, and ever-changing, the actor explains why he only accepts "yes" to challenging screenplays.

Edited excerpts from the interview...

It has been an incredible start to the year for you. Haq just released on Netflix to excellent reception, and now you have Taskaree coming up almost immediately. How are you processing this momentum?

It feels great. Haq is a film that really deserves all the acknowledgement for its audacious nature—the film, the subject, just what the writer-director and the entire team have done, and the performances. It’s one of those bold films, and we need more bold films like that. So I’m happy that a film of that nature is getting its due.

ALSO READ: Taskaree – The Smuggler's Web: Emraan Hashmi's customs officer isn't what you expect; 'Lot of things will take you by surprise'

You are collaborating with Neeraj Pandey for the first time in Taskaree. He is known for a very grounded, realistic style. Was it a culture shock entering his universe?

Not really—I wouldn’t say shock is the right term. But pleasantly surprised. And it’s something I knew how it would be because I’ve known Neeraj for a long time, and we’ve been discussing films. You have a certain intuitiveness about how a person would be. You know in a couple of meetings that, okay, they are of a certain nature: very, very meticulous, very focused on what they do. In pre-production, everything is set. He has a great team to support him.

What I was actually surprised by was knowing how fast he works. There is a pace if you’re clear, but it was really fast. Like when you actually hear about the timelines in which he finishes films and shows, it’s mind-boggling. And it comes from his experience and his clarity of work, because of just the number of years he’s been in the industry through television and all of that. This show has been made in over eight or nine countries, cities that we’ve travelled to. And the entire team—but he’s done it at a record pace, at a time that’s unheard of.

You’ve done many series, but you rarely reprise roles. However, we hear you are finally returning to a very special character soon. How does that feel?

Well, we’ve started it—Awarapan 2 is a film that I did in 2007. It was much loved—the character, the film, the music. And now reprising the character Shivam Pandit again was quite nostalgic for me. The first time. But it is something very recent. I've already started shooting for that film, releasing this year. It’s great when you revisit something. There’s also a challenge because the audience is expecting something from that. They have had a certain emotional connection with the earlier part, and you have to live up to that. Everyone has to live up to it.

In Taskaree, you play Superintendent Arjun Meena, a Customs Official. Has playing this role changed how you view airports or the people working there?

Of course, I’ve always respected the profession and what they do for the country. But now knowing that when you see a show like this, when you study them even closer, when you study this world, and when you see the research material that this team has put forward, you respect them even more.

Because nabbing a smuggler is not just about seeing someone suspicious in a line at the airport and taking them to the side and seizing their contraband. It’s about a lot of research that goes on for months and sometimes years before they actually end up nabbing that person. So it’s a very, very meticulous job. It’s a very well-oiled system. There are a lot of people involved who are constantly, day and night, working at what I feel is the edge of chaos. And they’re making split-second decisions at the airport on who to nab and who looks suspicious. That is the difference between that contraband passing through the line and going into your city—and that has dire consequences. So it’s a very tough job.

Recently, you have portrayed several characters in uniform, including a lawyer in Haq and now a customs officer. Was this a conscious choice to move into these structured, authoritative roles?

No, it's the offers you get. I’ve played people from the law enforcement agencies in different bodies. You know, it could be an RTO officer, Army, or BSF. I’ve played a police officer.

Actually, forget about me; I don’t think any actor's played a customs officer. There’s no material out there which actually shows this world. That is why I was sold as an actor, because this is something that people have never seen. I’ve never got to work in this space. I was fascinated once I started reading the script. I was always fascinated with this world, but how does smuggling happen on our air travel, international flights? You come to know in a show like this. So it’s very intriguing, very interesting.

Interestingly, early in your career, in Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai, you disguised yourself as a customs official to smuggle. Now, 15 years later, you are the one catching them. How do you view that "full circle" moment?

That’s where the challenge lies, right? When you play out different characters, it becomes so imperative to always do something new. And it becomes even more difficult because there are so many stories and characters that you can play—how do you keep that fresh? It’s a bit of luck; it’s about, you know, collaborating with the right people. And I’ve just been lucky and grateful to have those people come into my life and work with me professionally.

Do you think Taskaree acts as a bridge between your gritty side and your commercial side?

I don't analyse stuff like that. I don’t know how people perceive it, but for me as an actor, like I said, I’m always trying to push the bar with myself. I don’t compete with anyone; it’s just always with myself. How am I bettering what I’ve done in a film back, or five years back, or ten years back? It’s just by playing different characters and just increasing that kind of bandwidth of what I can do.

When I read a script, if I feel like this is a cakewalk, I generally don’t do it. If I find it challenging, if I feel like, ‘Okay, this is something that I really need to put in and pull my socks up to kind of do this,’ then that’s something that I get into. It could have been Haq, a film about a lawyer—I’d never played a lawyer. Or Ground Zero, who was a BSF officer. These are characters I’d never played. And so with this, even this, playing a customs officer.

How do you balance and navigate your way between theatrical releases and the OTT space?

There’s no set thing. It’s as per the subjects that come to me. You know, it’s about, of course, the rejections—sometimes there might be great scripts, but it might be something you’ve already played out before. Sometimes things don’t materialise. So I think eventually it’s not like it seems like it’s very well-planned—"Now I’m going to do so many shows and so many theatrical films."

But it’s purely on the subject. If I like the subject, I end up doing it. You know, like for example, something like Taskaree. I’ve got a variety of things I got offered, which were shows and original stuff. I liked this because of the sheer nature of everything coming together. Neeraj is in this show, heading it. A world that’s new. I’m loving the script. That’s why I picked this up. So it’s not a very pre-planned thing; it’s what comes my way.

Emraan Hashmi FAQs:

Q: What is the release date of Emraan Hashmi's Taskaree: The Smuggler's Web?

A: Taskaree: The Smuggler's Web is set to premiere on Netflix on January 14, 2026. The high-octane crime thriller features Emraan Hashmi as a customs officer dismantling a global smuggling syndicate.

Q: Who is the director of Taskaree?

A: Taskaree is created and directed by Neeraj Pandey, the filmmaker behind hits like Special 26 and M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story. This project marks the first professional collaboration between Pandey and Emraan Hashmi.

Q: Is Emraan Hashmi doing Awarapan 2?

A: Yes! Emraan Hashmi has officially confirmed that he is reprising his iconic role as Shivam Pandit in Awarapan 2. The sequel is currently under production.