The most famous Emraan Hashmi dialogues come from Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai, Jannat, Awarapan and Azhar. Lines like “Zindagi ho toh smuggler jaisi” and “Log apni zindagi banate hain, main apni jannat banata hoon” still trend on reels. Below are 21 lines fans quote most, with meaning and film where it is confirmed.
Emraan Hashmi, born on 24 March 1979, made his debut with Footpath in 2003 and became a star with Murder in 2004. Two decades later he is busier than ever. Awarapan 2 opened in cinemas on 14 August 2026 and crossed ₹100 crore net in India in its first week, as per ETV Bharat. His Netflix series Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web premiered on 14 January 2026.
Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai (2010): Shoaib’s lines
As the young gangster Shoaib Khan, Emraan got some of the sharpest lines of his career. Rajat Arora wrote the dialogues, and many of them became WhatsApp statuses overnight.
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1. “Zindagi ho toh smuggler jaisi, saari duniya raakh ki tarah neeche aur khud dhuen ki tarah upar.”
Meaning: If you live, live like a smuggler, with the world below like ash and you rising like smoke. Shoaib says this while dreaming of becoming bigger than Sultan Mirza.
2. “Mushkil toh yeh hai ki main abhi theek tarah se bigda bhi nahi, aur tumne sudhaarna shuru kar diya.”
Meaning: The trouble is, I have not even gone fully bad yet and you have started reforming me. It sums up the cocky, half-formed gangster Shoaib is early in the film.
3. “Tumhari baat ka jawab de diya, toh tumhara sawaal bura maan jayega.”
Meaning: If I answer you, your question will feel insulted. A classic Shoaib put-down, delivered with a smirk.
4. “Iss shehar ko chalane ke liye sirf do log chahiye, Sultan aur main.”
Meaning: This city needs only two people to run it, Sultan and me. Shoaib adds that everyone else can go into exile, like the Pandavas. It shows how early his ambition outgrows his mentor.
Jannat (2008) and Awarapan (2007)
The Bhatt camp films gave Emraan his most loyal fan base. Jannat, about a small-time bookie who rises in the cricket betting world, is still one of his most rewatched films.
5. “Log apni zindagi banate hain, main apni jannat banata hoon.”
Meaning: People build their lives, I build my heaven. Arjun’s line captures the hunger of the character and gives the film its title.
6. “India mein cricket khel nahi hai, religion hai, junoon hai. Maine iss junoon ko jannat banaya.”
Meaning: In India cricket is not a game, it is a religion and a passion, and I turned that passion into my heaven. The line sets up Arjun’s entry into match fixing.
7. “Awarapan ka yeh bojh ab mujhse uthaya nahi jaayega.”
Meaning: I cannot carry the weight of this aimless life any more. Shivam’s line from Awarapan carries the film’s sad mood. The character returned in Awarapan 2 this year.
Azhar (2016)
In the biopic of former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin, Emraan played a man fighting match-fixing allegations. Bollywood Hungama listed several of its lines among the film’s most hard-hitting.
8. “Sau sahi kaam kar lo, koi yaad nahi rakhta. Ek galat ilzaam aur sabne bhula diya.”
Meaning: Do a hundred right things and no one remembers, one wrong allegation and everyone forgets you. It is the emotional core of the film.
9. “Main teen cheezon ke liye famous hoon.”
Meaning: I am famous for three things. Azhar goes on to list his faith in God, his two marriages and the three matches he was accused of fixing. It is the line the trailer was built around.
Lines fans love (film not confirmed)
These lines are widely shared as Emraan Hashmi dialogues on social media, but we could not confirm the exact film for each. We have kept them because readers search for them, and we have not guessed the source.
10. “Jo haarta hai, wohi toh jeetne ka matlab jaanta hai.”
Meaning: Only the one who loses knows what winning means. A favourite on gym and exam-season posts.
11. “Aadmi tabhi bada banta hai, jab bade log usse milne ka intezaar karein.”
Meaning: A man becomes big only when big people wait to meet him. Pure gangster-era swagger.
12. “Jo aadmi limit mein rehta hai, woh zindagi bhar limit mein hi reh jaata hai.”
Meaning: A man who stays within limits stays limited all his life.
13. “Life mein apna motto hai, so aur sone do.”
Meaning: My motto in life is sleep and let others sleep. One of his lighter lines, popular as a lazy Sunday caption.
14. “Jo sochta hai, woh zindagi bhar sochta hi reh jaata hai.”
Meaning: The one who only thinks keeps thinking all his life. A push to act instead of overthinking.
15. “Jo bistar pe zabaan dete hain, woh aksar badal jaate hain.”
Meaning: Promises made in bed are often broken. It fits the morally grey lovers he played in the 2000s.
16. “Jo risk nahi leta, uska sab kuch risky ho jaata hai.”
Meaning: For someone who never takes a risk, everything becomes risky.
17. “Raaste ki parwah karoonga, toh manzil bura maan jayegi.”
Meaning: If I worry about the road, the destination will feel insulted. Short, punchy and endlessly quoted.
18. “Main raste badalta nahi, raste banata hoon.”
Meaning: I do not change paths, I make them.
19. “Ek awaaz hai jo mere kaanon mein goonjti rehti hai.”
Meaning: There is a voice that keeps echoing in my ears. The full line goes on to describe a face he keeps seeing and calls the woman the peace of his heart.
20. “Maine maut ko bahut kareeb se dekha hai.”
Meaning: I have seen death up close. The line continues that dying for someone else’s life is his destination.
21. “Jinke apne sapne poore nahi hote na, woh doosron ke sapne poore karte hain.”
Meaning: Those whose own dreams do not come true end up fulfilling other people’s dreams. It has a cynical, hustler tone that suits his conman roles.
What Emraan Hashmi is doing in 2026
After playing the villain Aatish Rehman in Tiger 3 (2023), Emraan has picked varied roles. Ground Zero (2025) cast him as a BSF officer, Haq (2025) as a lawyer, and the Telugu film They Call Him OG (2025) as the antagonist. In 2026 came Taskaree on Netflix, where he plays customs officer Arjun Meena, and Awarapan 2, directed by Nitin Kakkar, with Disha Patani and Shabana Azmi.
Next on his list is the Telugu spy film G2, which is currently being filmed. For more star news, see our celebs section and the latest from Bollywood. You can also browse more dialogue lists in our listicles.
Frequently asked questions
What is Emraan Hashmi’s most famous dialogue?
“Zindagi ho toh smuggler jaisi, saari duniya raakh ki tarah neeche aur khud dhuen ki tarah upar” from Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai (2010) is the most quoted.
Which film has the line “Log apni zindagi banate hain, main apni jannat banata hoon”?
It is from Jannat (2008), where Emraan plays Arjun, a bookie who rises in the cricket betting world.
Is Awarapan 2 a hit?
Awarapan 2 released on 14 August 2026. ETV Bharat reported about ₹111 crore net in India in its first week, which makes it one of Emraan’s biggest openers.
Where can I watch Taskaree?
Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web, created by Neeraj Pandey, streams on Netflix. It premiered on 14 January 2026 with seven episodes.
Sources: Wikipedia filmography, ETV Bharat, Pinkvilla, Bollywood Hungama.
