Tahir Raj Bhasin came into the limelight with Mardaani (2014), where he played the ruthless and suave villain. 11 years later, he once again gets into the villain zone with Special Ops 2. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, the dashing actor spoke about the feedback, his journey and a lot more.
How has the feedback been for Special Ops 2? It’s incredible. I am over the moon at the moment! It's out of this world; it's 3 times what I expected. If you get to be a part of the show that has already set a benchmark in Season 1, then you know that you are shouldering the responsibility of upping that benchmark. And when fans write to you and appreciate your part, it’s the best thing an actor can get.
What are the fans saying? On social media, people are saying stuff like ‘Gadar character’ and ‘Jhakaas acting’. Some are asking why I didn’t listen to the full thumri, something I had requested from the Banaras artists! The philosophy of the Collector has connected with the people. So, it was great to see that from the acting to the way the character carried himself to the locations, people have invested in various aspects of the show.
How did you bag the show? Did you approach director Neeraj Pandey, or was it the other way round? I was approached by Neeraj Pandey’s office. That itself was a big compliment because getting a chance to go head-to-head with Kay Kay Menon was a feat. I have always admired Neeraj Pandey’s work. I grew up watching A Wednesday (2008) and Special 26 (2013). For me, his work comes under the realism-meets-style category. I resonate with it as my acting is also on the same lines.
When I was called, I went to meet him. From the minute he narrated the first scene, where the antagonist is introduced listening to classical music, I was hooked, as it was so unusual!
Since Neeraj Pandey is known to do extensive research and incorporate true events or characters, was your part also inspired by any real person? I won’t say one person but my characters and the plot were inspired by multiple people or episodes. The names might have been changed while depicting the cyber attack references in the show, but they are all real issues, be it corporate espionage or national security. That’s what I like about Neeraj Pandey’s writing – it is rooted in research. If the show was made 10 years ago, it would have been categorized as science fiction, but today, everything that the Collector is shown indulging in is a reality. It raises an important question: What is security anymore? Conventionally, you would see an antagonist fighting with guns or muscles. But here, it's just with a VPN and your data.
How was it to shoot with Neeraj Pandey? I have heard that he’s particular about his script and prefers to shoot exactly as per the writing… Yes. In fact, he’s also a man of few words. In a day or two, you will understand what he wants to convey. Because he invests time in writing the script himself, he is very particular. He is like ‘Pause yahaan par hai toh yahin par rakho’, ‘emotion yahin change hona chahiye’, etc. He has the same approach even to his shot-taking. He has a lot of clarity. He sees the edit before he gets on the set.
Interestingly, you and Kay Kay Menon don’t have scenes together… Yes, and thank you for realizing that. People are asking me, ‘What was it like shooting with Kay Kay Menon’. And I tell them that ‘I haven’t shot with him’!
But did you regret not sharing screen space with him despite being a part of the same show? I won’t say I regretted it, but I knew that for a genre like this, the fact that we never met and the way it was done was fascinating. Our confrontation was minimal; many remarked that they wanted to see more of it. But I feel that leaving viewers at a point where they want to see more is always better than them complaining ki ‘Yeh bahut zyada ho gaya’. It was minimal yet impactful. Going forward, I’d love to work with him again and hopefully we’ll share the screen together.
In the show, we noticed that the word ‘UPI’ was changed to ‘OBI’. Why was that done? Honestly, you act according to the creative directions being given to you. I am sure that they had creative reasons behind doing so. I am not very clear on what the reason was. Yes, you are right; it was changed. But the audience, by and large, understood as my character also says that it's an attack on the country’s financial institution. There’s also a line that ek bhikhari se lekar ek businessman tak, sab use karte hai. Hence, people knew what we were referring to.
It’s been a while since you worked in a film and you have concentrated mainly on OTT shows. I have noticed that you have kept a healthy balance of playing protagonist as well as antagonist, be it with Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein or Sultan Of Bombay and now Special Ops 2. Was that intentional? Yes, 100%. OTT is a great space where you can experiment a lot. The kind of stories that you can tell there can be out-of-the-box. Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein starts as a love triangle. Then it goes wrong and the character turns grey. Sultan Of Delhi is a typical Milan Luthria gangster type of drama. So, the goal is always to not get set in one mould. You create a mould and then you break it. I am drawn to lead parts that are disruptive. The same goes for the character of Collector in Special Ops 2. When he enters the story, it leads to a plot twist. That’s what my one-line bio would be – I am the plot twist!
Next month, in August, your first major film Mardaani will complete 11 years. Even there, we saw you as a ruthless villain. It was made by Yash Raj Films (YRF) and you are a YRF talent. Recently, their blockbuster film Saiyaara was released and the way the lead newcomer actors didn’t do pre-release interviews was appreciated. It reminded me how even you were not revealed to the media before Mardaani’s release and when you finally came out for a post-release press conference, it was lapped up. You recently stressed on ‘less is more’ principle when it comes to your work. Do you prefer that in real life as well?
I can only speak for Mardaani. And it was intentional, as there was a mystery to my character. There was an intrigue to know who he is. And it matched up with what the overall story was. It’s a part I always count as one of my favourites because, again, it was disruptive. You don’t get to see such roles and that’s why it stood out. There was a lot of love for it, both from within the industry and the audience. Also, the idea to not go overboard with the PR before the film release helps maintain the curiosity. It’s always been my belief and I know that my agency believes the same, that let your work do the talking. Once people are convinced about your work, then even a conversation makes more sense.
I remember watching Mardaani on the first day of release and while exiting the theatre, patrons were discussing you. They wanted to know who you were and what your name was. It indeed left a huge impression… Thank you so much. 11 years after that film, I got a chance to play an all-out antagonist in Special Ops 2. It's great to see that it’s getting almost the same kind of appreciation.
Will you be back in Mardaani 3? I would love to return but unfortunately, in the first part, my character was killed! Unless someone creates a character of a twin brother, I don’t think it's possible (smiles).
What next from your side? I just finished shooting a fun series. It co-stars Parineeti Chopra. It’s a mystery drama, directed by Rensil D’Silva. It will air on Netflix.
Are you looking at returning to films? Yes. There are scripts on the table and it's all about finding the correct project.
Also Read: Tahir Raj Bhasin thanks ‘captain of the ship’ Neeraj Pandey after the success of Special Ops 2
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