Emraan Hashmi’s latest brush with horror was supposed to stir curiosity. Instead, Rooh has arrived with the kind of teaser that gets roasted before it gets dissected. The newly unveiled promo has drawn swift criticism for its AI-styled visuals and oddly synthetic mood, with online chatter quickly pulling Haunted 2 into the conversation again. For a star whose name still carries strong recall in the horror-thriller lane, that is a rough first step.
The film’s launch is official and clearly positioned as the beginning of a fresh genre chapter for Hashmi. In the social media rollout, the makers described Rooh with the line, “A haunting new chapter begins.” Another promotional post urged viewers to, “Experience the curse, the nightmare and the chase!” But while the campaign is pushing mystery and menace, the first response has centred on how unconvincing the teaser looks.
Rooh Announcement Brings Horror Back Into Focus
Rooh is directed by Mayank V Sharma and written by Vishal Kapoor and Sharma, with Vikram Khakhar and Sunny Khanna attached as producers. The announcement material positions it as a multilingual horror release for 2027 in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, giving the project a broad commercial frame from the outset.
That scale is exactly why the teaser reaction matters. Horror is one genre where atmosphere does the heavy lifting, and viewers tend to judge it instantly. If the opening visual pitch feels artificial, the film loses some of its grip before the story has even begun to unfold. In Hashmi’s case, the scrutiny runs deeper because he has a long standing connection with dark thrillers and supernatural dramas through films like Raaz: The Mystery Continues, Raaz 3, Ek Thi Daayan and Dybbuk. Rooh should have played to that legacy. Instead, its first look has sparked doubts about whether the film can match the mood, texture and conviction that audiences still expect from that corner of his filmography.
While Hollywood delivering blockbusters Obsession and Backrooms in limited budgets, Bollywood is still stuck with poor products like sequel of Haunted 3D and now this AI made poor quality teaser of Rooh.
Where Rooh Fits In Emraan Hashmi’S Current Career Chapter
That is what makes Rooh more than just another teaser drop. It lands at a time when Hashmi is still actively reshaping his screen presence across big screen and streaming projects, trying to convert visibility into momentum. Over the past few years, he has moved between genres and formats with Dybbuk in 2021, Selfiee in 2023 alongside Akshay Kumar, and Tiger 3 in 2023, where he took on the antagonist’s role opposite Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif. His streaming work has included the Netflix series Bard of Blood, produced by Red Chillies Entertainment.
He had terrible box office records. Post-2012, Emraan’s career went into freefall. Films like Raja Natwarlal (2014), Mr. X (2015), and Azhar(2016) couldn’t save his sinking career. Even his ambitious Netflix series Bard of Blood (2019), produced by Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment, didn’t create the buzz it aimed for.
In recent years, his attempts to stage a comeback have fallen flat. Dharma Productions’ Selfiee (2023), alongside Akshay Kumar, didn’t impress, and his villainous turn in Tiger 3 (2023) failed to generate any excitement. It seems like Bollywood audiences have moved on, leaving behind the star they once couldn’t get enough of.
His current slate shows that the industry still sees range and utility in him. IMDb listings include Haq and the Telugu film They Call Him OG in 2025, while Awarapan 2 is a confirmed theatrical release scheduled for August 14, 2026. Against that backdrop, Rooh carries a little more weight than a routine genre title. It has to prove that Hashmi’s return to horror can feel sharp, relevant and cinematic, not like a throwback packaged with weaker technology than the mood it is trying to sell.
Stay tuned with us for the latest news, Hindi box office news, Hollywood news, OTT news, the latest Bollywood news, and the latest box office news.
