THE MAN OF THE MOMENT : TAHA SHAH BADUSSHA

THE INTERNET IS SWOONING OVER THE HEERAMANDI HERO, WHOM HELLO! REVEALS TO BE A THINKER AT HEART, PREFERRING TO BUILD MENTAL FITNESS THROUGH READING, TRAVELLING TO LEARN ABOUT NEW CULTURES AND REFLECTING ON HIS THOUGHTS DURING HIS DAYS OFF

- ANANYA SHANKAR

Hold on to your hats, ladies, for there’s a new heartthrob in town! Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s highly anticipated Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar brought some real gems into the limelight, with Taha Shah Badussha being the rarest one of them all.

Having made his debut with Luv Ka The End back in 2011, Taha’s triumph has been 13 years in the making. And perhaps it’s the years of hard work and persistence that have made him the wise, diligent and philosophical man that he is today. “My journey has been a roller-coaster, with a few highs and many lows,” he reflects. “I always wondered, ‘Why not me?’, ‘What am I doing wrong?’ But as I’ve learned over time, rejection is basically just a change of direction.”

Having celebrated his strengths and understood his weaknesses, he now deems his new status as the national crush a “stamp of encouragement,” making him aspire to reach ever greater heights. Following his debut at the esteemed Cannes Film Festival this year, Taha recounts his arduous journey with HELLO!, crediting those who stood by him along with the naysayers who fuelled his fire — and officially claiming his throne as the new nawab of Indian cinema.

Tajdar Baloch stole everyone’s heart — but what drew you to this character?

To be honest, it was Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Working with him was a dream of mine since I set foot in Mumbai, and now, my dream is to continue working with him. The role of Tajdar fell into my lap, I never expected or planned for it. I was completely fine doing a threeday role for Sanjay Leela Bhansali because I just wanted to show him my calibre and craft… But he decided to make me his lead in this project and I am so grateful. All the love that’s flowing in for me is because of the role that he gave me and of course Netflix, for putting it out into the world.