‘I felt like a smuggler’: Emraan Hashmi reveals he was repeatedly stopped at immigration

Mumbai: Actor Emraan Hashmi has spoken candidly about the unease and anxiety he has often felt while passing through airport immigration, revealing that he was frequently stopped during his early years of travel and believes profiling played a role.

The actor shared these experiences at the trailer launch of his upcoming web series 'Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web' in Mumbai on Wednesday, January 8.

Ironically, Hashmi plays a customs officer in the series, which delves into the murky world of smuggling and enforcement agencies.

When asked whether he had ever been stopped at the green channel, the actor said customs officials have largely been polite, but admitted that a sense of fear always lingers.

“No, I think they have been very sweet to me whenever I have travelled back,” Hashmi said. “But there is this sense of overpowering fear. It’s not logical. It’s like when you learn how to drive, but when you see an RTO officer on the road, you suddenly get anxious. Even if I’ve packed only clothes, you feel like you’re carrying 100 kilos of contraband while walking through the green channel.”

Hashmi explained that while the fear may be irrational, his earlier encounters with immigration checks were more uncomfortable. He revealed that in the early 2000s, he was often pulled aside for questioning, especially when travelling alone.

“I have been called out at immigration checks very early on, probably because of earrings or stuff,” he said. “Back then, I used to get whisked away to the side quite a bit. That is called profiling. I fit the bill of somebody, but I don’t know who that person was.”

The actor noted that the situation changed over time. “Now, when they see me with my sweet family, they don’t suspect me,” he added, reflecting on how perception can alter scrutiny at checkpoints.

On the work front, Hashmi was last seen in Haq, directed by Suparn Varma and co-starring Yami Gautam. The film was inspired by the life and legal battle of Shah Bano Begum.

Next, he will be seen in 'Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web', created by Neeraj Pandey. The series also stars Sharad Kelkar, Zoya Afroz, and Nandish Singh Sandhu, and is set to premiere on Netflix on January 14.