On December 20, 2015, Emraan Hashmi tweeted, “Azhar almost done! Next 1... Raaz Reboot in nail biting -15 degrees in Transylvania. Off to Dracula Castle!“ A month later, he took off to snowy Romania, the seventh most populous member of the European Union, for almost two months, to film the fourth instalment of the horror franchise in the dead of winter. Over to Emraan:

BRRR, IT'S COLD!
Raaz had taken off in the hills of Ooty, moved to Mumbai and continued to create horror in the heart of the city through Part 2 and 3. It was time to give the series a new look. The snow took the Mukesh Bhatt and Bhushan Kumar production into The Omen and The Shining zone, giving the characters an eerie air and enhancing the sense of aloneness of the characters. January is the peak of winter in Romania, when I landed, it was minus 16 degrees centigrade. My jacket meant for the Arctic climes, leather gloves and snow cap kept me warm till it was time for a shot. Then, the layers of woollens would come off because you can't look obese on camera, and at times, I'd have to give a retake simply because my teeth were chattering too much.

Occasionally, when it was freezing, urged on by the local crew, I'd take a swig of Tucia, a plum drink. One shot and I was good to go out into the winter chill. But unsure of its alchohol content, I was careful not to drink too much as I didn't want to look tipsy on screen.

IN DRACULA'S CASTLE
Having seen the Francis Ford Cappola's 1973 classic, Bram Stoker's Dracula, I was excited about visiting the Bran Castle, an hour's drive from Sibiu our first stop, between Transylvania and Wallachia. It was snowing. We didn't get permission to shoot inside Dracula's castle, so we took a few shots from outside. Then, I took the guided tour, climbing the stairs, gawking at the art and furniture collected by Queen Marie, and buying a knife as a memorablia.

GREAT DICTATOR
I couldn't film in the Hoia-Baciu Forest near Cluj-Napoca as I had to return to India midway through the shoot. Romania's Bermuda Triangle is supposed to be the world's most haunted forest following reports of ghost sightings, unexplained paranormal events, strange-looking trees with charred stumps and branches. Locals who have gone in have come back complaining of rashes, migraines, burns and other physical discomfort. Some never returned. I'd have risked meeting a ghost had I been around. The only ones I've met so far have been in reel life. We filmed in the mansion outside which dictator Nicolae Ceausescu was apprehended while attempting to flee with his wife in a chopper. He was handed over to the army, tried and shot. The story gave us the shivers and so did the property where we were staying. You reached it after a 15-minute drive through the woods and some of its many rooms were said to be haunted. But I'm still waiting for my first paranormal experience!

BEAUTIFULLY SERENE
Sinaia and Sibui where we shot initially, are small towns, beautiful but boring after sundown. I was writing my book, The Kiss of Life: How a Superhero and my Son Defeated Cancer, so scribbling furiously between shots and burning the treadmill early morning and after pack-up. But Bucarest, the capital city and the sixth largest city in the EU, has its clubs and restaurants. I went out a couple of nights but if I go to Romania on vacation, it'd be for the sking and winter sports.

BOLLYWOOD CALLING
We had a line crew, and they were of big help. The Romanians are friendly, hardworking and professional, interested in world cinema and familiar with Bollywood because Akshay Kumar filmed a song for Singh Is Bliing here and Salman Khan was here for Jai Ho! A gentlman turned up on the sets with some DVDs of my films, including Murder, and was talking of releasing Azhar there.

I was on a strict diet of grilled fish or meat, and with an Indian chef on board, I didn't sample local delicasies like meaty Caltabos, desserts like Amandine, not even my director Vikram Bhatt's birthday cake.

THE LAST GOODBYE
I'd wrapped up the shoot and had a day to explore. That morning, I learnt my mom who was suffering from cancer, had been rushed to the ICU. Just before I boarded the flight, I was told she was gone. I remember nothing of the long journey home but I hope to go back some day...

Emraan Hashmi's son, Ayaan, unveiled the first copy of the book the actor has co-authored with Bilal Siddiqi, The Kiss Of Life—How A Superhero & My Son Defeated Cancer. The six year old, who is the 'superhero' in reference, proudly read out the title of the book upon unwrapping it.

“He was expecting the book to arrive today and was ecstatic when he returned from school to find a copy,“ informs Emraan, adding that his son has just started to read and was more interested in the pictures. “There are some 50 pictures in the book, from my childhood to when Ayaan was diagnosed with cancer. He was looking at them intently. They must have brought back memories of the tough times.“

He admitted that his wife Parveen read Ayaan stories every night after putting him to bed. “That is to keep him away from the iPads and games,“ he laughs, adding that the reason for writing the book was to give insights to those battling the disease. “Also, when he is a little older, Ayaan will know what he fought and it will give him a sense of achievement.“

There are also anecdotes of his own childhood and his journey through the industry because he wants people to know the man he is and how the fight with the Big C changed him as a person. So does Ayaan want to show the book to his friends? “He wanted to do it today, but we were scared that he might lose the copy. But I'll put it in his bag tomorrow when he is off to school,“ promises Emraan.

Emraan Hashmi who makes his literary debut with The Kiss Of Life: How A Superhero & My Son Defeated Cancer, co-authored with Bilal Siddiqi, launched the cover of his book in Delhi in the presence of 2000 people on Sunday. Ask the debutant author if it's any different from a first film release and an elated Emraan says, “This book is a part of my life, it's about a phase which, in its way, was a cathartic experience. I would say it's equal to forty movies that I have done.“

And will he soon follow in the footsteps of Mahesh Bhatt and Vikram Bhatt and pen a screenplay next? “I don't see myself writing one because that is in the domain of film. This was an experience I went through and wrote while it is still fresh in my mind,“ he asserts, adding that a second book is not on his mind currently but he'd 'never say never'. Emraan's superhero son Ayaan was not present at the Capital gala but the doting dad informed that he had called to congratulate and he really liked the book cover. Actress Sonali Bendre joined Emraan in the panel discussion. Co-author Bilal reveals that Emraan has a sense of story telling. “It was a great experience working with him. I had to get inside his head and write his story and I hope I have done justice to it. Unlike my first book (The Bard of Blood), this one is non-fiction. I know after reading this people will be informed and entertained in equal measures,“ he signs off.