Emraan Hashmi denies playing Mehmood in RD Burman biopic

Emraan Hashmi has dismissed reports that he has been cast as Mehmood in an upcoming biopic on music composer RD Burman, saying he has not been approached for the film.

Reports had claimed on Monday that Hashmi would play the veteran actor-producer in the project, to be directed by Neeraj Pandey and backed by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani's Excel Entertainment. The biopic is said to focus on Mehmood's friendship and creative partnership with Burman, and is reportedly in pre-production, with a shoot expected to begin in September.

Hashmi responded on X the same day the reports surfaced. "Just to clarify, the reports about me playing Mehmood saab in a biopic are untrue. I haven't been approached for the film, nor am I doing it," he wrote.

Akshay Kumar is attached to the project as Rajesh Khanna, his real-life father-in-law, according to the reports.

Hashmi will next appear in Awarapan 2, the sequel to the 2007 musical thriller, releasing in theatres this Friday against Sunny Deol's Partition drama Batwara 1947. The film also stars Shabana Azmi, Disha Patani, Suvinder Vicky and Puran Gabbi.