It was a Rani Mukerji film but it was Tahir Bhasin who got the mileage out of Mardaani as the evil boy next door. Tahir stood up to Mukerji as the head of a human trafficking and drug ring and as a result he has been signed as a counterpoint for Force 2 that has John Abraham and Sonakshi Sinha in the lead. Having studied media at the University of Melbourne, he returned to India to be a part of the film industry. He was noticed through ad films and after doing bit roles in Kai Po Che! and One by Two got an entry into the big league.
Excerpts from a chat:
You are to play the antagonist inForce 2, how would you compare this role with the one you played inMardaani?
This part is no where near as dark as my previous one. I would call it a grey character. In Mardaani there was lot of talking on the phone and was set in the character’s office, but this one is just one-on-one interaction and is very high on adrenaline. So it is exciting how different it is from the first one.
Are you worried that you might be typecast in a villain's role?
Not at all! I think this is a great time in Bollywood where the audience and films today have evolved from the time of Gabbar and Mogambo. It is not black and white any more. The Indian audience is aware of the fact that there are shades of grey in real life. I look forward to doing a variety of parts. And the great thing about the parts that I am choosing at the moment is that they have all got this human characteristic that the audience can attach itself to. This quality comes out whether you’re playing a dark character or a down-the-line hero. I feel a grey character can also be a totally smitten lover boy. As an actor I’m looking only at such shades.
How has your education in film contributed to your career?
Education is important in whichever field you are getting into. It helped me because it gave me a background in World Cinema. When looking at material like screenplay you get to understand your character better and what the writer wants to convey through your character. It also matters in the way you carry yourself in the industry and converse with producers and directors. And acting was something I’d been doing ever since school.
How would you describe the years after your return to India before you were signed forMardaani?
People have a negative term that they attach with this – the struggling period. I like to look at it as an aspiring period. I spent that time in acting workshops, shot ads, did internet videos, took dance classes and mixed martial arts sessions. I met a lot of casting directors and people in production houses. The idea is to use that time as productively towards acting as possible, so that when the opportunity arises, you are completely prepared. Hypothetically, had Mardaani happened within the first month of my coming to Mumbai, it would have been a very different experience. I cherish it and value it a lot more now.
What was the preparation you did for your role inMardaani?
The preparation was something that happened over the years. I wouldn’t say that the preparation lasted for a month between my getting the film and shooting it. One of the things that really influenced the way I played the character was visiting the red-light district, Kamathipura, and seeing how sex trade operates. I knew that the character I was playing was both the kingpin of this gang and a very regular guy in the family business who wanted to be the best at what he did – this was just his job. It was a very interesting contrast.
