"The rise of boyhood to manhood is not a trope that will be jaded" - Tahir Raj Bhasin

Tahir Raj Bhasin has done quite a lot of things already. Right from playing negative roles in Mardaani and Force 2 to playing a romantic (of sorts) lead in Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhein to a comedic role in Chhichhore and so on.

But starring in a stylish gangster drama like Sultan of Delhi might have pretty much been on his bucket list. In an exclusive at-length conversation with us, we asked him about the vibe and experience of starring in a period piece and how Sultan of Delhi stands out more than the several other projects that have tackled similar concepts. 

Q. This is your second project when it comes to being a period drama. Manto probably being the first one. How does it feel overall? You know, like, how is the vibe when you're shooting a period piece as opposed to when you're just shooting just another film or a show?

It is surreal if I have to sum it up, Kunal. Every actor dreams of getting a part that takes them away from their own reality, and that is where the challenge lies. And here, not only do you get taken away from reality in how larger than life  Arjun Bhatia is, but also in the world that he exists in. And especially when you're in the hands of a maestro like Milan Luthria, who exceeds in bringing style and glamour into a particular time period. It just adds that little bit of edge of hyperrealism in the world. So it's nostalgic. It's there's some vintage romanticism to the part. And at the same time, very, very challenging to play. 

To put it simply, this story has never been done in this fashion with this cast, and that's what makes it unique.

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Q. In the modern era, Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai is the benchmark when it comes to portraying a stylish gangster drama. Since then, there has been a barrage of content surrounding similar ones, but not much has been delivered. And even then, the sty of a boy rising through the ranks is rather done-and-dusted. While the premise of Sultan of Delhi seems similar, what do you think makes it different? And considering how much has been done surrounding the whole gangster drama genre so far after Once Upon a Time, how is it that Sultan of Delhi is better or gets a little better? 

I think there's a classic screenwriting fundamental, which is that there are only so many stories in the world that actually exist, and all stories come out of that. And, you know, the rise of a boy and the coming of age from boyhood to manhood, aided by friendship, love, and betrayal, is an age-old trope. And in every film, the alternate film that you name in Hindi cinema or internationally is based on that. I don't think it's a palette that is going to seem jaded or done because it is always done differently with an element that the characters, the cast, and the director bring to the table that make it fresh. And I think Sultan of Delhi has so much of that in terms of the book that it's based on, the city that it's based in, the kind of style, and it's an amalgamation of Arnav Ray's writing of Sultan of Delhi and Milan Luthria's style and unmistakable, like sort of watermark of, edge mixed with a little bit of, I mentioned the term before, hyperreal, for lack of a better word. And to put it simply, this story has never been done in this fashion with this cast, and that's what makes it unique.