"Somewhere audience finds it a little endearing when the bad man dominates the show. Negativity sells. In `The Dark Knight`, Heath Ledger played the role of Joker and found more appreciation coming his way and he overshadowed Batman," Emraan told reporters.
The 32-year-old actor has played grey-shaded roles in movies like `Gangster`, `Awaraapan` and the recent `Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai`.
Even in his softer roles, as seen in `Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji`, Emraan hasn`t been a conventional hero, as he is shown romancing a mother and her daughter simultaneously.
"I think anti-hero has a lot to do with anti establishment. There is a certain prescribed way of thinking in the society and a conventional hero stands up for that. He stays on to be politically correct. On the other hand an anti-hero defies what has already been established," said Emraan.
The actor argues that the audience connects with the anti-hero because he goes against the flow.
"Most of the time in our lives we are forced to contest the established. When someone goes out there and manages to topple the establishment, though in a manner which is not conventional or perhaps fully legal and ethical, audience root for him. They manage to connect with such a character," he said.
Besides bad guy roles, another factor which has remained a constant in Emraan`s career is his films` music.
The movies may not have fared well, but their music has always been a hit with listeners.
"People have given me that compliment when it comes to music. It is scary actually because expectations are so high from you all the time. One has to constantly match up to them.
It is always great to be striving for the best," said Emraan. His association with composer Pritam in a number of films has resulted in chartbusters.
"I guess we both are very fortunate. Pritam makes fantastic music and I am just a face who takes it forward. He has got that special space reserved for me when it comes to creating romantic songs," said Emraan.