There was a time when audiences mainly associated him with romantic thrillers and chartbuster songs – a phase that created had its own fan base and still is, but the actor clearly didn’t want to stay boxed in. With sharper choices and stronger scripts, Emraan Hashmi has drastically reshaped his screen image and right now, Netflix seems to be the biggest witness to that shift.
At the start of 2026, his presence is hard to miss. Two very different projects, released within weeks of each other, are trending high on the platform and keeping viewers hooked for completely different reasons.
Taskaree: A Calm Performance With High Tension
Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web is a crime thriller series directed by Neeraj Pandey, which recently hit Netflix platform on January 14. Set around airports and smuggling routes, the show explores the silent war between customs officials and a well-organised criminal network.
The actor plays the character named Arjun Meena, who is a customs superintendent – a calm, observant and quietly dangerous when pushed. There’s no loud heroism here – just control, intelligence and patience. That restraint has seems clearly worked in the show’s favour, helping it become top non-English series on Netflix early in the year.
HAQ Brings a Real Story Back Into Focus
With yet another true events based story – if Taskaree thrived on suspense, Haq has hit emotionally. Directed by Suparn Verma, the film is based on the famous Shah Bano case. The movie released in theatres in November 2025 and landed on Netflix on January 2, 2026.
In the film, Emraan Hashmi plays Mohammad Abbas Khan, a lawyer and husband whose actions trigger a legal battle that changed personal law discussions in India. Starring Yami Gautam in the lead, Haq has been trending as a top film on Netflix globally and has even found strong viewership in Pakistan, something rarely seen with Indian courtroom dramas.
A Short Role That Made Loud Noise
And it is widely known how last year’s Netflix series The Ba**ds of Bollywood became one of the biggest web hits of 2025. Although his appearance was for a brief period, the cameo became one of the most talked-about moments online, proving that impact doesn’t always need screen time.
The actor isn’t slowing down. After, also making his Telugu debut in 2025 with They Call Me OG, he is currently working on Goodachari 2 and also preparing for a sequel that revisits the 2007’s mood of Awarapan. There an upcoming high-octane action-thriller project too which is titled as Gunmaster G9.
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