Gangster's success has turned Mahesh Bhatt's blue-eyed boy Emraan Hashmi into one of the most sought after newcomers. Producers are offering him hefty sums and sources say he has entered the 'million' bracket.

Not only that, Bollywood's kissing king is also posing a threat to bigwigs and the talk in trade circles is that no movie should be released along with his film.

Going by past record - whether it was the multi-starrer "Tango Charlie" that came opposite "Zeher" or "Ek Ajnabi" released with "Kalyug" or the most recent "Mistress Of Spices" and "Darna Zaroori Hai" that has clashed with "Gangster" - all faced a bad reception when competing against Emraan starrers.

And now with "Gangster", Emraan gets the multiplex audience as well in spite of the fact that his underwater kiss with Kangana had been chopped! What makes him popular is his ability to reach out to the masses, his intangible charm that has women swooning over him and his phenomenal luck with music.

"Gangster" has surely catapulted him to the star status. Big banners are lining up outside his house and he has bagged a few prestigious projects, including Subhash Ghai's next venture.

But back home in Vishesh Productions Emraan is facing some serious identity crisis. While the actor is trying hard to do away with his Casanova image, both Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt are insisting on him to do otherwise.

For their upcoming film, The Killer, they want him to kiss Nisha Kothari but Emraan had been adamant till now.

Says Bhatt senior, "He is going the Mallika Sherawat way. He wants to earn some respectability. Perhaps that's why he told me he wouldn't kiss in The Killer. But I want him to be a star of the masses, not of the highbrows."

Is he reluctant to kiss because of his impending wedding this year?

"No, it has nothing to do with my wedding. I want to grow as an actor," clarifies Emraan. "It's just that I am bored of kissing, and feel I am getting repetitive. I know that kissing is part of my brand image, but images are not rigid.

"There is more confidence in me and more focus. Though I still feel scared before signing a film about whether I will be able to do justice to the role, I am more confident about delivering the goods once I get into the character."