Beauty of OTT is its intellectual audience: Tahir Raj Bhasin

CHENNAI: Tahir Raj Bhasin has been living his dream as an actor and the roles that he chooses to play are solid proof. Special Ops: Season 2 that released on July 18 on Jio Hotstar put Tahir, yet again on a high pedestal in Indian cinema. He plays Sudheer Awasthi the main antagonist and has grabbed the limelight. "The response has been overwhelming because I could see the audience's appreciation on social media and even when I get out of my house and meet people, they have a few good words to say about it," says the actor.

The role of Sudheer aka The Collector was flawless and was on point but it took Tahir some homework and rehearsals to make it look the way it is. "The preparation was both physical and psychological," he reminisces. The actor rewinds to days when he sat with director Neeraj Pandey and defines the latter's writing as meticulous. "We sat and read the character and Neeraj's writing has a lot of details in it. The way he has written The Collector's character shows why the character operates the way he does and there were intricacies in the text itself. So, the onus was on me to prepare on how a person with a certain kind of past operates in the present day. That is where the quirks and the mannerisms had to be incorporated. The character that has style and charm also had to be matched with intensity blended with physicality that go hand-in-hand. That needed some training with the action directors and with trainers at my gym. The process was fascinating because you either get roles that are psychologically strong or parts that are physically strong. This one was both combined--charm with intensity," he adds with a smile.

Tahir brought about an aura to the character that matched the charm of the eastern European landscapes. As we mention the locations, there was an excitement in his voice. "Oh, I was spoilt for choices for an actor. They were brilliant locations. The Enguri Dam in Georgia was built during the soviet times and the main office where The Collector's scenes were filmed was a control room that was in a flying saucer shape in Tbilisi. Each of these locations are characters by themselves," he says.

Despite playing a character with shades of grey, Sudheer has earned a lot of love and he sees how even antagonists, when they are well-written, have a special place among the audience. "I believe in doing lead parts that are disruptive, when they are well written and I also see who the director is. Neeraj is someone whom I have been wanting to work with ever since I came to Mumbai. Moreover, the beauty of OTT platforms is the intelligent audience it houses. People here relate to flawed characters. It is difficult to join a successful franchise that has existing characters, which are loved by the audience. To be accepted by them is a challenge and I feel overwhelmed, as I had said before," Tahir remarks.

With pan-Indian shows and films, Tahir sees that all boundaries have been broken in Indian cinema with creativity. "I would love to be a part of content that is being made down south. The makers there, blend style and entertainment in a seamless manner," he tells us.

Tahir is also excited about his upcoming project. "I am shooting for a thriller series for Netflix. It has Parineeti Chopra in it and is being helmed by Rensil D'Silva. The series is produced by Siddharth P Malhotra and it is unlike anything I have done before," he signs off.