Tahir Raj Bhasin not worried about delay in release of his projects Kubbra Sait comes on board cast of Onir’s I Am sequel

Tahir Raj Bhasin is an optimist, and prefers looking at the brighter side of things. Though theatres have been shut for long now, causing a delay in the release of his projects, the actor is “still excited” for what the future holds.

“It’s possible that things might be delayed… Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhen, which I finished working on, will release directly on an OTT platform. As for the other films, the studios will take a call, as and when,” he tells us.

Bhasin has a host of projects in the pipeline. His film, ‘83, based on India’s 1983 World Cup win, has been ready to release for long now, but is stuck as theatres are yet to reopen. And, with regards to other pending projects, the 34-year-old isn’t complaining. “We are lucky the lockdown happened at a time when the films needed to be in edit and post-production stage. The time was utilised for that,” he shares.

That being said, the Chhichhore (2019) actor is excited by the diverse roles he has on his plate, as he feels they’re helping him grow as an artiste. “The series is a thriller, Looop Lapeta is a heist romantic comedy, Bulbul Tarang is a social drama. Its director Shree Narayan Singh has this common theme to his films. They have great entertainment value. It’s exciting to do different things with every venture,” says Bhasin, who recently wrapped up work on his web series in Manali.

For Armaan Malik, social media should be a place to have conversation infused with kindness and compassion, instead of toxicity. And that’s what the singer-songwriter is trying to do through his presence in the virtual world. “In the pandemic, it’s important that we’re there for each other. I may be going through a lot, but we can help each other by just being able to share that with people, or people sharing their stories with me,” admits Malik, who turned 26 yesterday.

For him, it starts by being transparent with his fans, be it the good moments or dark hours. And that leads to a chain reaction. “Not everyone has access to therapists, or psychiatrists. Sometimes, a few kind words by someone can change the whole mood, making one feel much lighter. It leads to a chain of people being able to voice what

Filmmaker Onir has turned all his attention to creating a sequel to his National Awardwinning film, I Am , and has roped in actor Kubbra Sait for one segment. Titled We

Are, it will weave together aspects of queer life through four stories.

“I’ve finished scripting the project and started casting. Kubbra will be seen opposite Nimisha Sajayan,” says Onir, choosing not to disclose too much about Sait’s character. IAM narrated four stories, strung together by the common theme of fear. It featured actors Juhi Chawla, Rahul Bose, Nandita Das, Sanjay Suri and Radhika Apte. For the sequel, Onir isn’t losing the essence of his idea, but infusing shades of the queer they’re feeling. I want to create that chain. I want to leave a very positive footprint on my social media.”

Malik wants his social media accounts to be a safe place for people where they can talk to each other without any fear of getting judged.

“It takes a lot of courage on my end to put down my feelings out there. But that’s how things should be done,” notes the Echo hitmaker, who feels that’s the only way

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Not ev access t Som kin so can ma muc ARMA Singe

She (Kubbra) is playing a girl who’s closeted, and outed without consent. ONIR, Filmmaker

community. Shooting, he says, is slated to begin in September.

“It’s set in the same four cities — Kolkata, Kashmir, Mumbai and Bengaluru. Also, this time, I’m using regional languages, real transwomen and drag artistes, making it an Indian film, not Bollywood,” says Onir, who has co-written the script with Canadian filmmaker Fawzia Mirza.

In fact, the 52-year-old filmmaker has included

people will “move towards a positive outlook on life”.

Extending his relationship with his fans, the singer released his merchandise on his birthday. “Not a lot of artistes in our country put out their own merchandise. It’s an extension of my vibe and personality,” he concludes. various shades of gender and sexuality into the stories. “It celebrates the Supreme Court verdict on Section 377, but is also a critique of what we are facing right now,” Onir observes.

“I’m not thinking about who’ll be comfortable with what; I’m just making a film with stories I hope will touch everybody,” he ends, with a potential log line for his project: Love reigns.

Kubbra Sait