Emraan Hashmi is currently gearing up for the release of his upcoming web series Showtime, which explores nepotism in the film industry. In an interview with Dainik Bhaskar, Emraan opened up about the nepotism debate, which was initiated by Kangana Ranaut a few years ago. Emraan described Kangana's statements as surprising.

Emraan Hashmi talks about Kangana's claims on nepotism in Bollywood

During the interview, Emraan Hashmi was asked about his views on Kangana Ranaut's claims of nepotism in the entertainment industry. Emraan Hashmi said, "I like Kangana a lot personally, as an artist, and as a person. Maybe she might have had some bad experiences in the film industry. My experience with Kangana was such, that I had given a hit that time, but still in Gangster I took the villain’s role where she was given center stage. It was almost like a female-centric film. So, I don’t know when this perception about the industry started and people started saying that we all are drug addicts or the industry only works through nepotism. I think it is dumbfounding and not true."

Kangana Ranaut and Emraan Hashmi first collaborated in the film Gangster and have since starred in several films together, including Raaz: The Mystery Continues, Once Upon A Time In Mumbai, and Ungli.

Emraan talks about public's negativity towards Bollywood

During the same interview, Emraan Hashmi talked about the public’s negativity towards Bollywood and said, "There was a lot of negativity towards the industry after Covid, and even after the Sushant Singh Rajput episode, and the Boycott Bollywood trend for that matter. There was a resentment, where the entertainment industry was focused on singularly."