Emraan Hashmi plays a deadly cop in John Abraham – Sanjay Gupta’s Mumbai Saga, check out new photos

Filmmaker Sanjay Gupta, who has directed films like Shootout At Wadala and Kaabil, has been busy with the shooting of his gangster drama, Mumbai Saga. The film, which stars John Abraham and Emraan Hashmi in the leading roles, began shooting in August last year in South Mumbai.

Emraan Hashmi plays a deadly cop and director Gupta revealed that everyone was anxious whether the actor would be able to pull off the role. Sharing a new look of the actor, Sanjay tweeted on Thursday, “Everyone on team MUMBAI SAGA was anxious about how @emraanhashmi would pull off the deadly cop’s look. Just look with what style he has pulled it off.”

Now, the makers of the film have released Emraan Hashmi’s first look as the encounter specialist in the film, and this hits the bull’s eye as well. A fan of Sanjay's narrative styles and the positions of the actors, Emraan revealed he was a little surprised when Sanjay approached him to play a cop and not a gangster. “I rejected a lot of offers which were in the same zone as Shoaib Khan from Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai, maybe, I was waiting for Sanjay’s film. But when Sanjay said he is offering me the role of a cop, I was a little taken aback.” he said.

The actor was also a little apprehensive about how the character was written since he wanted to steer clear of a character that was unidimensional and similar to ones already portrayed before in other films. “I was hoping it’s not that and to my surprise, the way the part has been penned and the kind of character I play, he is almost like a gangster. An encounter specialist, he can put a bullet into someone if it accomplishes his motive. He is a badass character in a dog-eat-dog kind of world wherein this guy is the wolf. No one would imagine that I am playing a cop but for this policeman, he is, as I said, like a gangster. Be it by fair or unfair means, he will bring down the guy he is going for. So, it’s kind of home turf but it’s a very entertaining pitch for a character in a pure Sanjay Gupta style, who has created his own brand of cinema. And as an actor, I am always up for doing something different.”

Mumbai Saga is set in the 80s and based on true events. “Not many know what made Mumbai the city it is today. It makes for a compelling story, which will make you go, ‘Oh my God!”, said Gupta earlier. The film is being shot in real locations and has an ensemble cast of 11 principal actors. The film, which is being produced by Bhushan Kumar, also promises high octane stunts, and the entire team has dived head-on into the film. In fact John Abraham tried to shoot for the film despite a torn ligament in the arm. “He didn’t tell us about the injury and dived into an action sequence, in the process, aggravating it. The last two-week shoot has a lot of stunts so, we will resume after he’s completely recovered, sometime next month”, informed the director.

Mumbai Saga is a Gulshan Kumar presentation and is backed by T-Series and White Feather Films production. The film is produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Sangiita Ahir, and Anuradha Gupta.

ALSO READ: Mumbai Saga: John Abraham to sport four distinct looks in the Sanjay Gupta directorial