He's now playing the same role in Kunal (Jannat) Deshmukh's Tum Miley.
"But with a difference. You see, this time I actually paint. In Raaz I wasn't really able to do much of that. All the paintings were done beforehand and I didn't get a chance to paint on screen apart from a few strokes."
In Tum Miley Emran's newly-discovered painting skills will go a lot further. "I'm shown to be a far more intricate painter, doing not just brush painting but also charcoal etc. Here I can't fake it. I'm using all the skills that I learnt as a painter in Raaz for Tum Miley."
Emran seriously intends to pursue his painting. "And my character in Tum Miley is helping me do that. It's my first intense love story."
The film is based on the deluge in Mumbai on July 29, 2005. All the scenes depicting the couple coming together during the deluge were shot in one go on a studio set. Emran describes it as his first intense love story.
"It's also my first film with Soha Ali Khan. Do I kiss her? Let that be a secret. I consciously moved away from the serial kisser's image in Raaz 2. I don't want to be known for something so frivolous. I want to move on."
Emran has also moved on from the Bhatts in Tum Miley. "This is a Percept film. I won't say I've moved on. But yes I want to clear off the misconception that I work exclusively for the Bhatts."