Known for portraying dark and intense roles, actor Emraan Hashmi is hopeful that audience is waiting for a thriller and that his upcoming Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai would meet their expectations.

The actor himself has acted in only a couple of films that have boasted of elements of comedy - Jawani Diwani - A Youthful Ride (with Celina Jaitly) and Good Boy Bad Boy (with Isha Sharwani) which were box office disappointments.

No wonder, the actor man has stayed in his zone and done gritty films with Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai being the newest inclusion. "I agree when you say that I have been playing a lot of grey characters. I think I have that kind of face that people approach me with such roles (with negative shades). Till I don't get clean shaved, film makers are bound to exploit the grey side of my personality," Hashmi said.

"Well, there is something always so interesting about playing a guy who is living on the edge and is involved in something which is unethical or illegal but is still not totally black," he said.

"Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai is about an era that has gone by where gangsters and criminals ruled from underworld. The way we perceive them right now is not the way we did then. It was a different world then."

Meanwhile, he acknowledges the fact that after a strong of comedies that have dominated B-town for last so many months, there is a an edgy thriller like this which is being keenly anticipated. "That's how B-town functions. Whenever there is a trend, everyone jumps and tries to capitalise on it," said Hashmi.

"If one comedy works everyone starts doing it. This has been a trend for last couple of years. But then think about a viewer who has been bombarded with slapstick comedies month after month. After some time, due to all the overdose he is bound to get bored," Hashmi added.

No wonder, he was all set for Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai once Milan Luthria narrated the subject to him. "Here was a man who was trying to swim against the tide and bring something new to the table rather than conforming to the prevailing trends", said Hashmi.

"Of course there are chances of failing when you attempt something unique but then I would rather do something like that and take a risk rather than following any trends. At least with this film, audience will have a choice to watch a new genre rather than viewing something which is repetitive," he added.

What also fascinated the actor to work in a film like Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai was reliving the era gone by about which he had only heard from his parents.

"My dad has been through the times in the 70s and the 80s when underworld stories had first started making headlines. As a kid, I used to chance upon hearing such stories," said Hashmi.

"Now that Milan was narrating the script to me, I found myself exploring the roots of where it all began. Underworld figures have always been larger than life and what we get to see in the film is some really fascinating stuff. I am sure we have a winner in hands," he added.

No wonder, he didn't hesitate once he was convinced with the script of Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai.

Despite Ajay Devgn being a powerhouse performer, Hashmi knew that he would manage to stand on his own and come up with a bravura act himself.

"It was all about catching hold of an opportunity like that. For a good film, even if there are number of other actors, I won't let that slip by due to any hard or fast rule that I may have set for myself. You don't think about other actors when you have such a script," said Hashmi.

"If it is a great story, as in the case of 'Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai', all calculations and trade have to be kept aside. You have to go with the flow, simple. How many great roles do you get in a lifetime?"