EXCLUSIVE! Emraan Hashmi: Ajay Devgn's work always fascinated me

Emraan Hashmi and Ajay Devgn have reunited after seven long years for 'Baadshaho' that opens next week. Their camaraderie is one of those rarities in Bollywood today. When asked about his equation with Ajay, Emraan said, "It took off from the first day. We broke the ice in our very first film in a matter of a few days. Ajay's work always fascinated me. 'Zakhm' made a huge impact on my life. I was in college when I had seen a lot of his films. I wanted to know his process while he makes a film. Over a period of time, I saw a semblance between the way we are and the way we work. As for chemistry, whether it's between two males, females or a male and a female, it can never be rehearsed or created. It's either there or not there."

'Baadshaho' is based on a set of true events that took place during the emergency of 1975. Of course, they have been fictionalised, something that the makers have clearly stated right at the outset. Emraan told us that Milan Luthria has been toying with the idea for 'Baadshaho' for many years now. He first narrated the concept to the actor while they were shooting 'Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai', eight years ago.

"Milan knew about the story even before that. A lot of gold was seized from the Maharani's palace and mysteriously vanished while it was being escorted by a convoy of the army and police vehicles. We fictionalised it and tried to understand what could have transpired. Ours is an assumption and we've placed some six badass characters in it," says Emraan, dismissing any chances of a political party or two getting miffed about the film's story.

"The film is fundamentally fictional and although it could point to a party there’s no reference to anyone as such. The emergency is just the backdrop, the milieu. You will always feel that the odds are stacked up against the characters. The heist always seems impossible. Generally, most heist films have less substance and more show but here, the case is completely different," says Emraan.