Mumbai Jan 26 PTI Tahir Raj Bhasin says as an actor his endeavour is to turn in some incredibly nuanced performances while also becoming a bankable star who could carry any film or series on his shouldersThe actor gained prominence following his breakout debut as the antagonist in 2014s Mardaani and later with John Abraham-starrer Force 2In recent years he was seen in supporting roles in films such as Nandita Dass directorial Manto coming-of-age dramedy Chhichhore and Ranveer Singh-led sports ensemble 83Bhasin has started the year 2022 on a positive note as he recieved universal praise for his Netflix series Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein and now he is gearing up for feature film Looop Lapeta co-starring Taapsee PannuI am excited about four releases this year besides some other projects which are not announced officially yet Bhasin told PTI in a zoom interviewIt is exciting that the audience today is accepting variety and the same actor can be doing different genres and be accepted For me it is always about how I take myself up I am my own competition he addedBhasin 34 said that being in the business of filmmaking for the past several years has taught him a lesson that talent aside one needs to be a bankable star as wellWhile creatively it is about how you bring authenticity heart and soul to a project being bankable is also important My goal is how to bridge those two -- how to be a good actor and star and stop the distinction between those lines he saidThe actors new film Looop Lapeta is the Hindi adaptation of the 1998 German film Run Lola Run directed by Tom Tykwer and starring Franka Potente in the leadDirected by first-time filmmaker Aakash Bhatia the upcoming thriller follows an adventurous ride through a sticky situation where Savi Pannu is on a mission to rescue her boyfriend Satya Tahir Raj Bhasin In the film Pannus Savi is stuck in a time loop and gets multiple chances to save Satyas lifeIt was an exciting opportunity to play a character whose world is in contrast and conflict Satya is flawed He passionately loves Savi and wears his heart on his sleeve and doesnt necessarily know how to show it in the best way and when he does try he makes these series of mistakes that drive the story into this absolute chaos He is a jholer who is constantly looking for shortcuts but is vulnerable soft romantic and a mess at the same time Bhasin saidThe Delhi-born actor said it was challenging for him to bring in certain nuances in his performances especially when he is unaware that his girlfriend Pannu is in a time loopThe challenge of being the first to bring such a cult classic here in Bollywood and take up a complicated concept in science and present it in a way that is fun and entertaining Yash Khanna cinematographer and Aakash director have done an amazing job in doing thatFor me the challenge is how do I change without the change like mannerisms and how to put it differently Bhasin addedBhasin said he would not call Looop Lapeta a remake but an adaptation as the lead characters of Satya and Savi have been contextualised for the Indian audienceBhatia who makes his directorial debut with the movie said in terms of story the goal was not to just remake the original film but to take the germ of a thought and present it differentlyThe storytelling assets that we have in our film are very Indian The biggest challenge was to make sure that we dont step on the toes of the original classic but make a completely fresh film without really disrespecting the original he saidBhatia also said the team did want to break the stereotype that exists in pop culture of a man saving a womanIn Looop Lapeta there is a beautiful relation that Satya and Savi share and it is not a stereotypical relationship The journey of 50 minutes is where her realisation of love happens for Satya as she is motivated by Satya to save him The entire journey of saving him is her biggest expression of love Bhatia said he found the process of recreating key moments on screen particularly exhilaratingThe challenge was creating a story and screenplay and shooting it in three different ways where you get the memory of what you have seen but there is an added point of view in the second or third runTo create that was very exhilarating because I get to tell a story again by adding an element which wasnt there earlier In our film Taapsees character is the only one who is aware of the loop none of the other characters are but still their stories are also progressing he saidLooop Lapeta is set to bow out on February 4 on Netflix PTI KKP RB RB

Mumbai Dec 18 PTI With Raveena Tandon-led web series Aranyak receiving positive response from the critics and the viewers producer Sidharth Roy Kapur says the plans are already in motion to develop a potential second seasonThe crime thriller series which has filmmaker Rohan Sippy attached as the showrunner has been garnering positive response from the critics and audience for its taut narrative as well as performances from the cast led by TandonDirected by Vinay Vyakul the show features Tandon as a cop named Kasturi Dogra who joins hands with her city-bred replacement Angad Parambrata Chatterjee when a foreign teenage tourist disappears in a Himalayan townRoy Kapur said the team has already begun work on building the sophomore seasonYou can expect a season two and thats something the team is working on very hard With the love the show has received from the audience we have a lot to live up to and we hope season two matches up to the first one The characters of Kasturi Dogra and Angad will take forward things from here There will be Mahadev Ashutosh Rana as well These three characters are the fulcrum of the show The end of season one gave a hint to it However we cant talk much about part two the producer told PTIRoy Kapur known for backing critically-acclaimed and commercially-successful films like Dangal Haider Barfi and Kai Po Che through his banner Roy Kapur Films said the idea for Aranyak originated from a personal encounter that the writer Charudutt Acharya had during one of his trips to a small townIt is based on a female police officer that Charu had come across on a holiday to a hill station with his family That character of a woman who is a good wife mother daughter-in-law and traditionally does all the things in small town India and in the daytime she is a hard cop stuck with Charu The producer believes there is an appetite for suspense thriller shows coupled with well-crafted storiesSo far we have enjoyed these stories from the West because they have a tradition to make slow burn shows Here the show is Indian the characters are unique there is a murder and the mystery around it which is just fun to watch Also the hint of the supernatural is interesting he saidAsk him about the rising popularity of strong female narrative on OTT Roy Kapur said it is an interesting trend OTT platforms have given the opportunity to use the wealth of acting talent that we have There are so many actresses who were not active earlier but now have the chance to show their talent he addedWhen asked why there are less number of female-driven strong and action-packed films being made in Indian cinema Roy Kapur said the business of cinema is largely male dominated even todayRoy Kapur added that even though the scenario is changing for the better one cant neglect the commercial pressure of luring the audience to theatresTheatrically the commercial pressure of a film is quite different and therefore there are lots of things to consider Theatrical box office has been led by men You have female superstars but its been the male superstars who have driven the big numbers in the past I think things are changing he addedRoy Kapur believes that the digital medium has away the pressure of box office from the minds of creators and filmmakersOTT gives you a chance to tell interesting stories because it becomes a part of a portfolio that streamers are putting out Therefore there isnt that much individual pressure on a title to perform the way you have it at the theatrical box office Produced by Roy Kapur Films and Ramesh Sippy Entertainment Aranyak released on December 10 on Netflix PTI KKP RB RB