Tahir Raj Bhasin: I’ll celebrate my birthday properly this year

Diligence about Covid-19 protocols enables the actor to enjoy his special day

Actor Tahir Raj Bhasin is happy that, after two years, he will finally be able to celebrate his birthday today just the way he likes it — partying and working. The pandemic had ensured there was a lockdown on his special day, in both 2020 and 2021. “I am massive on birthdays; it’s the one day I have when I can cheat [on my diet] and eat all the cake I want, indulge in all-night parties, which is a routine I do not have otherwise. Also, touchwood, for the first time in two years, I will be able to be with real people and step out of my house. Last year, I was in Ladakh for a shoot, so I had to spend it solo amid the lockdown,” he recalls. After partying and celebrating his birthday, he will fly off to Gujarat to resume his shoot.

The actor who turns 35 today was seen earlier this year in Looop Lapeta and Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhein, adds that the rise in Covid-19 cases doesn’t alarm him. Bhasin reasons, “Over the years, one has become more mature, a little more realistic. It’s the natural ebb and flow of the virus, there will be consecutive strains that come and react differently in different regions. Fortunately, in our country, vaccination rates are good; a lot of people had caught the virus and have natural immunity now. We are better prepared [to fight the virus] every year.”

He further adds that protocols are still being followed diligently on sets, so that takes away his worries. “Everyone I know is properly vaccinated, five out of 10 people have recovered. Everyone comes wearing masks, and we have hand sanitisers on the sets. It is not as big a shock as it was two years ago. One knows one has to adapt to it, and make sure work keeps happening in the safest way possible,” he signs off.