In an exclusive conversation, Tahir Raj Bhasin reveals how he was approached for '83' and talks about his chemistry with Ranveer Singh in the film.
Tahir Raj Bhasin is currently basking in the success of Kabir Khan's sports drama '83'. The actor portrays batting legend Sunil Gavaskar in the film based on India's historic win at the 1983 World Cup. The actor is receiving widespread love and acclaim for his nuanced and brilliant performance. We recently spoke to him about his journey in the film, his equation with Ranveer Singh and more.
Here are some of the excerpts from the interview:
Q. How were you approached for the role of Sunil Gavaskar in '83'?
A: I have just been very humbled at the love that is pouring in. My Instagram and Twitter is just overflowing with reactions we are getting from people who are getting nostalgic, emotional, they are getting goosebumps. It is a great feeling to be a part of the film that extracts so many emotions and gets the audience to feel so much. About how I was approached for it, I remember I got a call from Kabir Khan's office to say that Kabir wants to meet you. I went and met him and he narrated the entire story and he said that he would really like you to play Sunil Gavaskar and I was just blown away. I have never in my wildest dreams imagined that I would play Mr. Gavaskar. I have to admit I am not from a cricketing background so I haven't played professionally in college or after that. So, it was a big challenge to transform myself into it. But at the same time, it took me five minutes to accept the role because I knew that if a film like this had to be made, it had to be made at the scale at which Kabir was envisioning the film. It was once in a lifetime (moment), and I said yes of course, it was amazing to be a part of the project.
Q. While preparing for the film, did you get any secrets from Sunil Gavaskar himself about his batting style and his famous walk?
A: The most frequent question I was asked was that are you gonna manage to get the walk right. I knew that Sunil Gavaskar was a style icon and a sport poster boy, but I didn't know that the walk was as legendary as what friends and relative and the media made it out to be when I signed the film. I watched a lot of his videos and eventually I got to meet him and I asked him what is the secret, is it a walk that you consciously thought of. And he said a beautiful thing, he said that when you are opening for India and you are the first man out there and you have a powerful line up of the West Indian team, there is a certain authority and certain weight that you need to project and that is the reason behind that confidence, swagger that you saw Sunil Gavaskar had. And keeping that in mind and watching a lot of videos, sometimes in slow motion, I had to get that walk right. The biggest compliment that I have got for this film so far is when Mr. Gavaskar himself watched the film and said that you know, I saw myself in you when I saw the film on screen and that for me is the icing on the cake.
Q. Wow, that must have been a thrilling experience?
A: It was surreal because first of all, watching the film on the big screen after two years of waiting for it and secondly, watching it with my parents at the premiere and with the original team, everyone was in tears. It was a five minute standing ovation first towards the screen and then, automatically, without anyone coordinating anything, everyone turned towards the original players who were sitting at the back row and had a three minute applause. It was a very emotional moment.
Q. Your scenes with Ranveer are being highly appreciated in the film, specially the one in which Ranveer as Kapil Dev asks you as Sunil Gavaskar to score runs in front of the entire team. Both the iconic players shared a great chemistry within Indian dressing room too. How was it recreating that chemistry in the film and working with Ranveer in the film?
A: Last part of your question first, Ranveer Singh, everyone knows, is a firebrand in terms of energy and enthusiasm that he brings to every room that he walks into. The great thing about having him lead the team here was that he brought that energy into rehearsals and practice and it just charged the entire team. If this person who is working so hard towards this, it means that I really need to up my game as well. It was a very interesting dynamic because Ranveer and I are both from the same agency, we are both managed by YRF so we meet often in the corridors. When I meet him, he is the senior actor. But when it comes to Team 83, the roles were reversed because Sunil Gavaskar is the senior player. To have that role reversal where Gavaskar was the former captain, a sporting legend before 83 and to have Kapil Dev who was younger but leading the team in this particular tournament, it was an interesting dynamic. But one thing we were very clear on and this was a brief from Kabir and having spoken to the original players, is that no matter what the locker room dynamic was, when we were on the field, we were all part of that one team and only focus was how to win for India. My favourite Gavaskar moments were how there were small tweaks - it might have been the fielding order or bowling lineup or to tell a bowler how to bowl...I don't want to give too many spoilers because there are some people who still haven't watched the film... but there were small changes that were made behind the scenes that had a big impact on the game and that was just beautiful to see, where ultimately it was all about collaborating to make sure that we won over the opponents and it was all for team India.
Q. You have your Netflix series coming up 'Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein' in January. The teaser is quite intriguing. Tell us more about the same.
A: It's going to be a very exciting year. I am really looking at 2022 as the year of transition because I am moving into doing lead parts and not only lead parts, but they are all romantic leads, which bring with them their own set of challenges. Its going to be exciting because the new projects that I have coming up are so diverse and 'Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein' which will be on Netflix on January 14th was super fun to shoot because we shot it all through 2021. The beauty about OTT is its the long format of storytelling so you can start off with one genre but the story transitions into something else. So this is a story that starts off in small town India as a romantic drama and it gradually transitions into a psychological thriller. And I really look forward to the audience's reaction to the story of an ordinary man in extraordinary circumstances and how he deals with it.
Q. The teaser of your another project 'Ranjish Hi Sahi' on Voot Select was released recently. It is a romantic love triangle set against the backdrop of 70s Bollywood. We would also like to know more about the same.
A: Its funny, in your questions I am hearing because there is 'Ranjish Hi Sahi' and there is 'Looop Lapeta', its like the year is starting off on the hattricks of romantics. I have never done romantic dramas before so its really great that when it happens, its all happening in threes, including the cast of 'Ranjish Hi Sahi' which is Amala Paul, Amrita Puri and myself. As you said, it is love triangle, set at the backdrop of Bollywood in the 70s. Its been created by Mahesh Bhatt and the Bhatts are always exploring romance and the blurred lines between what is socially acceptable and what is not. And of course when you are working on a Bhatt project, music is something that is always great. So I am really looking forward to the music of the show releasing and how the audience responds to it.
Q. Even after waiting for four years for your debut film 'Mardaani', you have been quite selective in choosing your projects. Why so?
A: I am just someone who has always believed in quality over quantity. For me, it didn't matter if I was doing a certain number of projects in the year, but the limited that happened should be of such quality that the audience remembers them for time and I have been fortunate to work with the kind of directors who give those kind of films and series. 'Chhichhore' was such an unbelievable experience because it was a film that was loved by the audience. We won a National Award and I got an opportunity to work with Nitesh Tiwari. Its amazing to be a part of '83' because I believe that it is a timeless film. People are going to watch that film five to ten years from now and still have the same emotional moment that we had watching it in theatre last week.
Q. Sports has been an integral part of your filmography. You did a small two-minute cameo as a batsman in 'Kai Po Che!', then played an athlete in 'Chhichhore' and now portraying Sunil Gavaskar in '83'. So, if given a choice to lead the biopic of a sports personality from any era or any nation, who would you choose?
A: First of all, I would want to give sports films a bit of a break to start with because I have done so many of them. More than doing another sports film, I think what's important when you do a film like 'Chhichhore' and '83', there's always something about the character that stays back with you. And for me, it is the discipline. My respect for what sports men and women in this country go through, the amount of preparation that it takes just for that one race, just for that one sporting event, for that one tournament, and everything is resting on your form and the country depending on you. That has made me appreciate the process, rather than just a win. We often support our teams and sports stars only when they are winning. But its important to support them right through the process. That's the major takeaway that I will have.
Q. With '83' getting rave reviews and great love from everyone, would you want to define this film as the turning point in your career?
A: It's funny for me because almost every film of mine has been a turning point of some sort. 'Mardaani' opened a lot of doors, 'Chhichhore' was the first big commercial success so people started to look at me differently, but '83' for sure in terms of doing a historical sports drama and playing a legend and people accepting me like that, its been incredible. If five years ago, you would have told the audience that the same boy who played the antagonist in 'Mardaani' is also going to play Sunil Gavaskar, that would have been a very big ask of producers as well as the audience. But to be able to pull that off, its humbling and I feel really grateful.
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 "Tahir Raj Bhasin")
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