KARACHI: Indian actor Emraan Hashmi has denied reports linking him to the role of “Mehmood saab”, pushing back on casting speculation that had circulated online.

The denial did little to settle the conversation on Pakistani social media, where the prevailing response was that the actor could not have pulled off the part even if he had wanted it — a reaction Dawn’s Images desk documented on Tuesday.

Hashmi’s post on X on Monday was brief. He wrote that reports about him playing “Mehmood saab” in a biopic were untrue, adding that he had neither been approached for the film nor was he doing it.

What he meant was Mehmood Ali, the late Indian comedian-actor. The speculation had begun circulating on Monday around a biopic of composer R.D. Burman, reportedly being helmed by Neeraj Pandey, with Hashmi rumoured to be playing Mehmood — a close friend of the musician.

What Pakistan heard was something else entirely. The near-universal first thought among Pakistani users was that he meant Mahmood sahab — and someone eventually asked outright, to widespread relief that the misreading was collective rather than individual. The reference, of course, is to Mahmood Aslam’s character on Bulbulay, the sitcom that has outlasted several governments.

Opinion on his suitability split. One user argued Hashmi could have “absolutely rocked” the part, going so far as to attach an artistic rendering of him in the role. Others were unconvinced the Indian actor had what it takes to carry a character of that difficulty.As the Images desk put it: there can be only one.

Hashmi meanwhile has Awarapan 2 due out, an action thriller directed by Nitin Kakkar that also stars Disha Patani and Shabana Azmi.