EXCLUISVE | Tahir Raj Bhasin on working with Milan Luthria in 'Sultan Of Delhi': 'Felt completely at home'

Tahir Raj Bhasin and Anjumm Shharma are coming together for Milan Luthria’s period show called Sultan of Delhi on Disney Plus Hotstar that streams on the platform from October 13. It’s a show that’s set against the background of gangsters, style, glamour, and perhaps subterfuge. It’s based in the era of the 60s, and has all the classic one liners that one associates with the filmmaker’s world. For starters, it’s based on a book of the same name.

In an exclusive interview with Firstpost, both Bhasin and Shharma spoke about their experiences of working with Milan Luthria, his brand of cinema, and their prep for the show.

Edited excerpts from the interview

How did you both prepare for your respective roles?

Tahir: I started by reading the book and got a lot of detailed information from it, I also got a basic understanding of the psyche of the character. The next thing was very closely working on the look of the character with Milan Luthria and that was a fascinating experience as he goes into so much detail. Anything that he does is always heavy on style. What was interesting during the prep was to map the journey that my character Arjun Bhatia goes through and how he changes from being a boy to a man. Very rarely you get to play a protagonist that has shades of romance, heartbreak, intense friendship, dreams, and destiny.

Anjumm: I didn’t start by reading the book, my journey started a little differently. I read a couple of pages of the book but then had a detailed conversation with the director, and he asked me not to see the book as a reference. An actor is completely dependent on the script as that will eventually be the framework, so that material was enough. Everything about the show was very clear in his mind that served as the initial platform for me to essay my character.

Tahir, the characters of Milan Luthria’s world are neither black nor white, they cannot be boxed into one category, and they are also known for their dialogues. How was it like stepping into his world?

It just fitted like a glove. I felt completely at home because that’s the kind of cinema I have grown up watching. Arjun Bhatia as a character is someone that the viewers are going to sympathize with at different points. In Milan Luthria’s world, just like life, nobody is good or bad, it’s a clash of processes that happens. You feel sympathy for both of them.

Force 2 was about revenge, Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhen dealt with obsession, Chhichhore and 83 highlighted hope. Is Sultan of Delhi a mix of all?

The motivations of the characters are a mix of all the shades that I have portrayed in my career, and that’s what makes it more challenging. Action is something I haven’t done before, so to be able to stay in a certain shape for 8-10 months during the shoot, to train in weapons, to have a camaraderie with co-stars was all part of the challenge.

Also, what is your take on the OTT as a platform and the creative freedom it gives to actors and filmmakers.

Tahir: It’s a tremendous platform in terms of the work it gives to the technical team. Be it cinema or OTT, the crew is the same, be it set designers or spot boys, it’s generating income in the industry. It’s also incredible storytelling. There are stories that can be told in 2 hours and then there are stories that deserve a longer format, and Sultan of Delhi is one such story.

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