Emraan Hashmi says playing ‘KKC’ characters has been “profitable” for him

Similarities to Lord of War be damned, the cast and crew of ‘Jannat 2′, sequel to the 2008′s action blockbuster, remains optimistic about the film’s fortunes. And why not? ‘Jannat 2′ rides on a formula perfected by the Bhatts – a few good songs, a gritty underworld backdrop, and a love story that provides the right dose of emotional kickback.

The formula hasn’t always worked, at least not without Emraan Hashmi in it, and that’s what the star himself is banking on. In a press conference in Dubai today, Hashmi said ‘Jannat 2′ is “one of the best films” he worked in, and he believes that his character is right there among the top of his work. When asked if he is inclined to portray characters that are dark and shoddy, he said, “That’s probably because I look like that! But no, I do yearn to play normal characters like ‘Dil to Bachcha Hai Ji” but I guess such dark characters have been profitable for me.”

In ‘Jannat 2′, Emraan delves into the world of arms dealing, supplying guns, rifles and all sorts of assorted weaponry for those that need it. His character, Sonu Dilli, believes in keeping the play ground fair, so he doesn’t believe in partiality – he provides arms to everyone. He is quickly slapped with a degree title after his name, ‘KKC’ or ‘Kuti Kameni Cheeze’ for his dirty but highly profitable work.

Director Kunal Deshmukh, who was also present at the conference, said he was happy pushing the “franchise” forward with ‘Jannat 2′ and thanked the Bhatts for trusting in him after a dud with ‘Tum Mile’.

Deshmukh showed surprising…ahem, modesty when asked why the movie is pitched as a sequel when it features neither the characters or the story from the previous film. He said that “previously, the movie was titled something else…we even had a press conference. But the producers came back saying the response from the media was cold. They weren’t lapping it up. There was no interest. The audience always look down upon sequels and ask for something original, but when we give them something original, they don’t always accept it.”

So they decided it would work as a sequel to ‘Jannat’. “We already had Emraan, we already had a story, so I thought there would no one better to push the franchise forward then myself.”

Bhatts have definitely honed Deshmukh as a director, but his press conference skills need a bit of polish, we believe. Maybe next time.

‘Janaat 2′ releases on May 3 in UAE.