Good boy gone bad

Pic/Taher Shabbir

Taher Shabbir describes himself as a person who is "full of love". Evidently then, in order to play the antagonist in Bejoy Nambiar's Disney + Hotstar series Kaala, the actor needed to disconnect from his "inherent personality" to play the part of a man who is obsessed with power.

"When you play the antagonist, you feel like something is [eating you from within]. It's in contrast to who you are as a person. The emotional journey of a character like Naman is heavy. I prepped for the part intensely to make sure that the essence was captured well. Naman believes he is God. That darkness stayed with me during the shoot." Since the set that he was working on was buzzing with joy, Shabbir was able to disconnect from his on-screen character, swiftly.

A telly actor who received much acclaim for his series, Bepannah, Shabbir admits that the OTT space has redefined the opportunities coming the way of actors like him. "People [underestimate] our talent. We were and will always be talented. OTT opened up a lot of doors for us. There is a demand for more actors, so we are getting a lot of work. Now, the talented lot is coming to the forefront [because show-makers] know how to use them well. OTT is Godsend for us."

Shabbir calls Nambiar an "actor's director". He also credits leading man Avinash Tiwary for being supportive. "Because there is a madness to this character, I would offer many variations for each scene. I have bothered Bejoy a lot, but I hope that this madness has translated on screen."