The actor's first production is based on certain real life events with an army backdrop and will be shot in Leh, Ladakh, the Indo-Pak border, Delhi, Hyderabad and London
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 5, 2016)

Emraan Hashmi is turning producer but not with a run-of-the-mill Bollywood-styled love story whose USP would be a couple of kisses, but with an intense true-life drama set against the backdrop of the army. While he is cagey about revealing names and details since he is still scripting the film, Emraan's co-producer and the film's director, Anthony DSouza, confirms the news, saying, "Yes, it is based around certain real events which happened during the Kargil war. We will be shooting in Kashmir, Leh, Ladakh, the Indo-Pak border, Delhi, Hyderabad and London. We start around December-January with the snow portions."

Emraan who agreed to join hands with his Azhar director again after hearing the gist of the story, is extremely excited and waiting to listen to it in detail. "Tony is a good filmmaker, technically sound and given a good story, can do wonders. I think he will handle a subject like this well. He's not rigid and though the final call is his, he is open to suggestions and includes everyone in discussions," he points out.

The 37-year-old actor has been talking about launching his own banner for a while now. "But after the tragedy at home, this took a back seat," he points out, obviously referring to his son Ayaan's battle with big C, now documented in his book, The Kiss of Life: How A Superhero and My Son Defeated Cancer. Then, last October-November, after two traumatic years, just when conversations revolving around cancer, remission and chemotherapy were beginning to fade away, he learnt that his mother had been diagnosed with cancer. On March 11, he was in Bucharest, having just wrapped up Raaz Reboot, when he learnt that she had been rushed to the ICU and, just before he boarded the flight from Romania, he was told that she had succumbed to a stone.

Is the production house a legacy of sorts that he wants to leave for Ayaan who made his debut last Friday in front of the camera in Dia Mirza's short film, Kids For Tigers? "No, I think eventually Ayaan will do things on his own. If he does become an actor, he might choose to go out and do any film he wants. I don't want to put any binding on him. And he may even start his own production. I'll let him make his own choices. This is something I wanted for myself," says Emraan.

Before that he has the fourth part of the Raaz franchise coming up. And he's gung-ho about it. "I'm an avid horror film buff. I've watched a lot of Korean, Japanese and English films in this genre and I think it was a great idea to take Raaz out of Mumbai and the city to Romania. The snow and the vibe of the place not only added to the buzz on the sets but also gave it a distinctly different landscape, taking you back to The Omen and The Shining. It gave me the chills, literally," Emraan signs off with a smile.