Emran, whose appearances in Kalyug, Gangster and Aawarapan portrayed him in characters who are gray, reckless and negative in appearance, says he enjoys such roles compared to conventional 'goody-goody' heroes.

"Typical Bollywood heroes are very boring. There is no growth or realism in the characters. It is just difficult for me to connect to the typical hero thing," says the actor who began his career in the film industry with Footpath in 2003.

"For me, it is very important to have someone who has flaws, who has gray shades. We all make mistakes and then redeem ourselves, That's what I saw in my character in Jannat and I jumped to it." he says.

After Footpath he did three films, Murder, Zeher and Tumsa Nahin Dekha, all in the same year, 2004. His next films Kalyug, Aashiq Banaya Aapne and Jawani Diwani in 2005 stamped him as a 'serial kisser,' a tag that the 28-year-old actor is not comfortable with and terms as "unfortunate."

"Just having one or two scenes does not really make you a serial kisser but unfortunately that's how it is," says Emran adding that as long as his audience is fine with it.

"I fail to imagine how this can create so much hype, curiosity or media attention but I am fine with it as long as my film does well. Media always hypes these things but that's okay as long as my fans like it," he said on his recent trip to the capital to promote Jannat, that releases on May 16.

So does Emran get angry for being tagged as 'serial kisser'? 'No, no, it just makes me laugh," he says after facing repeated questions on the subject.

Emran, however does not believe that he has created and therefore confined himself to the image of a chocolate hero or of a kisser boy and dismisses the need to break away. "I do not see it as an image thing, so there is no question of breaking away from it," he says.

His latest film is based on the match fixing controversy where he plays a street smart gambler who takes to betting to earn easy money. During the filming Emran says he had the opportunity to meet some real bookies to prepare for the character.

"I met some real bookies to know how the business is done, how the bets are placed and how odds are taken. Unfortunately we could not bring in any cricketers," he says.

The actor is also happy that the exchange through films between India and Pakistan and says it will bring positive changes in the relationship of the two countries.

"It is a new beginning. We saw the release of Khuda Ke Liye here and Indian films are releasing there. I think we can bridge gap through creativity. It is good for both countries," he says.