Bollywood actor Tahir Raj Bhasin entered the film industry as the negative lead in Rani Mukherjee’s hit film, Mardaani. Since then, the actor has been climbing the ladder of success with each of his film outings. With Chhichhore, Bhasin made a firm standing in the film industry. On the movie’s second anniversary, Tahir opens up how Chhichhore has changed his life. He also called Sushant’s intellect something ‘unmatched.’
Tahir is really grateful to his director Tiwari, producer Sajid Nadiadwala, and co-actor, late actor Sushant Singh Rajput for the amazing on-set experience. Revisiting the fun times from the movie set, he said, “My fondest memories of shooting for Chhichhore were the parts we shot in IIT Bombay. Hostel 4, on which the film is based, really exists, and shooting in the real corridors and canteens helped get the entire cast to reminisce their own college life and instantly bond.”
Tahir further threw light on how he prepared himself to play the character of Derek. “It was also a challenging film to be a part of; Nitesh Tiwari is a perfectionist and had me train with national-level sports coaches to prepare for Derek. I was in training for 4 months for athletics, football, and kabaddi, this developed the character’s physicality.”
Talking about Sushant’s conviction and focus towards the work, Tahir said, “Watching Sushant work and spending time with him behind the scenes was an absolute joy. His focus and complete commitment to his personal growth were very motivating to watch. His intellect was unparalleled and the vastness of his topics of interest always entertained and enthralled the set.”
Tahir also praised the movie’s producer Sajid Nadiadwala and told, “Sajid Nadiadwala has an instinct for great scripts, watching him mentor the project yet give the actors their space is huge learning in leadership. One of my proudest moments, after we premiered the film, was when he congratulated me on how Derek had turned out in the film.”
The movie received the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi at the 67th edition of the National Film Awards. Tahir feels really proud as Chhichhore is there in his body of work. He stated, “There’s a great sense of achievement when I think of Chhichhore today. Doing a box office smash hit and celebrating the film’s National Award is a rare combination. I smile every time I catch Chhichhore on TV.”
The movie ‘Chhichhore’ tracks down the story of a middle-aged man, Anni (played by Sushant), and his college friends. The plot of the film revolves around how their lives change after graduation and what challenges they face in their lives after that. The movie deals with the pressure that a parent may unknowingly build upon their kids regarding cracking competitive exams. It preaches to live life to the fullest.