Tahir Raj Bhasin
Tahir Raj Bhasin is an Indian actor. Born in Delhi, he holds a master's degree in media from the University of Melbourne. Bhasin made his screen debut with Kismat Love Paisa Dilli and made brief appearances in Kai Po Che! and One by Two, before making his official film debut with Mardaani, which fetched him a Filmfare Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, and the Screen Award for the Best Antagonist. His Latest film Chhichhore became a blockbuster hit.
Early life
Bhasin was born in New Delhi; his father worked in the Indian Air Force and he is the elder of two siblings. His father was in the Air Force while his mother worked for Confederation of Indian Industry, and Aptech Computers. His younger brother is a pilot in Cathay Pacific. His father and grandfather both served as fighter pilots in the Indian Air Force. During school days, he participated in a lot of extra-curricular activities. He played basketball during school and did a lot of dance and theatre during college.At the age of 13, Bhasin started acting and initiated his fundamental acting training, while he was 15, at the Barry John Acting School. He studied political science at Hindu College, University of Delhi and did a workshop with Aamir Raza Hussain, who is a big theater personality in Delhi. It was when he participated in the IIT Bombay's Mood Indigo festival, he decided to become an actor. He holds a master's degree in media from the University of Melbourne, Australia with special papers in screen media and the history and philosophy of film. At the age of 18, he worked at a national news production company where he hosted a campus-talk-show for a news channel. Bhasin moved to Mumbai at the age of 23 to pursue acting and concentrate on modelling. He joined the Institute of Advanced Acting and Behavioural Studies for a year, where he learnt about body language and behavioral analytic. In 2013, he took part in the summer intensive acting and voice training program conducted by Naseeruddin Shah.
Career
Bhasin committed to acting professionally in 2012, where he featured in four short films for the Film and Television Institute of India, and appeared in Indian television advertisements for companies like Samsung and Canon camera. During the year, he was seen in a cameo appearance in the comedy thriller film Kismat Love Paisa Dilli directed by Sanjay Khanduri. After starring in a three-minute role in Abhishek Kapoor's Kai Po Che!, playing the role of senior Ali—the cricketer in the film—Bhasin appeared in the romantic comedy One by Two, directed by Devika Bhagat.In 2014, Bhasin made his Bollywood film debut—in a lead role—in Pradeep Sarkar's crime thriller Mardaani alongside Rani Mukerji, in which he played the role of Karan Rastogi, a Delhi-based human trafficking kingpin. His character in the film, inspired from the American TV series, Breaking Bad was critically acclaimed and critics appraised the representation of a "new, young, chilling face of crime" in Indian cinema. Mohar Basu of Koimoi called Bhasin a "revelation", and Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama mentioned that Bhasin made sure he leaves an "ineradicable impression" even if "pitted against a powerhouse performer" like Mukerji. With the role, Bhasin topped "The Times hotlist'14" in the Best actor in a negative role category, and was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the annual Filmfare Awards ceremony.
In 2016, Tahir starred in the action spy thriller Force 2 as the antagonist opposite John Abraham and Sonakshi Sinha. His acclaimed portrayal won him a Star screen nomination for best supporting actor.
For his work in Mardaani and Force 2 Tahir ranked in the Forbes magazine 30 under 30 list for 2017. In 2017 he was ranked in The Times of India list of top 50 most desirable men.
Tahir walked the red carpet at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival as part of the cast for Nandita Das’s Manto, in which he portrays the 1940s Bollywood star Shyam.
In 2019, he portrayed one of the lead roles in Dangal director Nitesh Tiwari's feature film Chhichhore.
Tahir is currently shooting for Kabir Khan’s 83, a film about India’s first cricket World Cup victory in 1983. He is playing the part of the legendary test cricketer Sunil Gavaskar.
Personal life and off-screen work
In an interview, Bhasin admitted that he had relationships during school and college days but after being committed to acting, he does not have time for relationships. Bhasin walked for the ninth edition of the fashion show "Ramp For Champs" and lent his support to charity organisation—Smile Foundation. The profits made from the event was used to educate girls.Filmography
;Films| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
| 2012 | Kismat Love Paisa Dilli | Special Appearance | ||
| 2013 | Kai Po Che | Ali Hashmi | Special Appearance | |
| 2014 | One by Two | Special Appearance | ||
| 2014 | Mardaani | Karan "Walt" Rastogi | Debut Film Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor | |
| 2016 | Force 2 | Shiv/Rudra | ||
| 2018 | Manto | Shyam | Cannes 2018 Selection, UnCertain Regard | |
| 2019 | Chhichhore | Derek | ||
| 2020 | 83 | Sunil Gavaskar | Filming, Release April 10, 2020 |
;Web Series
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
| 2018 | Timeout | Rahul | Voot original series |