My life transformed with it: Tahir Raj Bhasin on seven years of Mardaani
OThe film played a central role in recognition I have received as a powerful actor. TAHIR RAJ BHASIN, Actor
n the seventh anniversary of 2014 film Mardaani’s release, actor Tahir Raj Bhasin shares how his villainous act in the movie earned him spotlight and awards, setting him up to have a long career in Bollywood.
Bhasin was cast opposite Rani Mukerji in the action thriller, where she played the role of a firebrand cop chasing a cold-blooded human trafficker. Calling it an “explosive break” for him as an actor, he says, “My life transformed with its release and has never been the same.
The film played a central role in recognition I’ve received as a powerful actor.”
As a debut film, Bhasin, 34, feels Mardaani cut through the clutter. “Its uniqueness lay in how Walt (Bhasin’s character), the anti-hero, was projected and stylised by (director) Pradeep Sarkar. People had seen the boy next door, but this film gave them the bad boy next door.”
Bhasin terms it a ‘hugely rewarding challenge’, to share screen space with Mukerji. “Being cast against a star of her stature means you’ve to up your game and this led to the need to be in peak performance state from day one,” he says.
After his silver screen debut, Bhasin followed it up with another villainous act in Force 2 (2016) and was last seen in Chhichhore (2019). It’s now that he has been finally cast to play romantic leads. Talking of his future projects, Bhasin says, “In my two exciting projects set for release, I will be exploring romantic dramas. I grew up on a staple dose of ’90s Bollywood romance and that’s what I channel as I slip into this avatar.”