I don’t think anyone in the Hindi film industry in recent years has had the kind of a start to a year like Tahir Raj Bhasin did in 2022. He finished last year with an ensemble like ’83, then had two back-to-back web series releases in two days with Ranjish Hi Sahi and Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein, which were both dearly loved and then in the first week of this month he had Looop Lapeta. This lineup would surely look like a dream run to many and it is, but the effort and hard work that the actor has put in during his eight years in showbiz, it all seems rightly deserved to me.
As I speak to Tahir about this amazing and unique streak that he has embarked upon, the actor is an excited man to talk about it.
He says,
“I started off this year saying that I have a hattrick of romantic releases, but now I am very proud to say that I have a hattrick of hits. I feel like it’s been a festival. It’s like 12 days of Ganesh Chaturthi for me. To get to this point, it has taken me two years of shooting back-to-back. Last year in September, I was feeling like I have been shooting so much, but nothing was releasing, and then gradually the release date for ’83 came, Netflix bought Looop Lapeta and Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein also got its release date. So, for anyone thinking that it was an overnight success, it actually took about a decade of hard work to get here.”
Tahir insists that the love and appreciation he has received for all his projects has been overwhelming and it has kind of increased his confidence in the kind of work he is doing and the choices he has made over the years.
The actor adds,
“It is validating because there are a lot of choices I had to make to reach this point, a lot of things I had to say no to. But it’s months like this that instils the faith that I must have done something right.”
But having now tasted all this success as the leading man and a romantic hero, would he be open to going back to antagonistic and supporting characters like the ones he started off with in Mardaani and Force 2?
Tahir responds,
“I have always looked at whatever part I am doing as a hero, and that’s because every person is a hero of their story. It comes from the basic philosophy that no one is black or white. There is a little bit of darkness and a little bit of light in each one of us. It’s the circumstances that the character is living in its journey that makes them the kind of person they are. Even Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein started off as a journey of a romantic small-town boy, but it’s the circumstances that push him into the darkness. I would enjoy doing such parts that are layered and the best part about today is that the audience is ready to accept such kind of characters.”
I have been an admirer of Tahir ever since I first saw him in Mardaani. I believe that he has a signature charm that he brings to all his characters, no matter who or what they are or represent, that makes me love him even more. It fills me with pride and joy to see him reach this position and with such a tremendous success behind him, I can’t wait to see what the future holds for him and how he utilises this momentum.