Speak of the nawab

For Heeramandi's male lead, Taha Shah, the road to success was paved with flops

- REYA MEHROTRA

Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali knows everything about our hunger for something larger than ourselves. Humdrum ordinariness is what we are stuck with, while grandeur is what we are made for. Bhansali recreates in reel the reality we are striving for—in the form of grand sets, extravagant costumes, larger-than-life characters, and passionate romance. In this game of thrones, he can turn a pawn into a king, and a striving actor into a royal nawab. And that is exactly what he did for Taha Shah, who once danced behind Katrina Kaif in the film Baar Baar Dekho (2016). From there to being the male lead in a Bhansali project—Heeramandi (which dropped on Netflix on May 1)—Shah has come a long and winding way. Heeramandi has been a new lease of life for him. “When you find success after 15 years in the industry, you know its value,” says Shah, who portrays the nawab Tajdar in the series. And since its release, fame has left its calling card with the actor. He has even been dubbed the ‘national crush of India’ on social media. “It feels a little awkward, but I am overwhelmed by the response,” he says.