Leading hero Taha Shah Badussha, who plays the role of Tajdar Baloch in ‘Heeramandi’, gave fans a special treat with exclusive meet and greet opportunities across London, Manchester and Leeds.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar’ took the world by storm following its’ global Netflix release in May and became the world’s most-viewed Indian series ever.

But, ‘Heeramandi’ isn’t just about the courtesans; it also throws light into the lives of royal nawabs, zamindars, British officers, and the revolutionaries who raised a rebellion against the British empire. Among these characters is Tajdar Baloch (played by Taha Shah Badussha), who hails from a nawaabi family in the heart of Lahore city.

The UAE home-grown star, who’s gained global fame since his devoted romantic role as ‘Tajdar’, Taha interacted with his legion of fans at the opulent ‘Habbibi’ restaurant and shisha lounge in Habbibi Leeds and Habbibi Manchester.

‘Habbibi’ known for its unique Middle Eastern allure and a touch of Dubai-inspired opulence has fast become a city hot-spot, known for its exquisite ambiance, culinary delights and premier shisha bar.

Asian Express had a chance to catch up with Taha Shah, who talks about Urdu, love and his upcoming film projects.

INTERVIEW

How have things been since ‘Heeramandi’?

TSB: I’m definitely getting more calls (laughs) – my Instagram following has spiked up, but more than that, for me personally, going live events like this one in Leeds today, meeting people, interacting with them, you know – just how they have taken the series, how they’ve taken my performance, that’s more tangible, to me. That is something that touches my heart more than just numbers going up and down. My work is in Mumbai, or wherever I’ve travel for work, but then you realise work has transcended borders.

Tell us a little more about how you worked to perfect your Urdu for the role of Tajdar in Heeramandi?

TSB: When I was being considered for ‘Heeramandi’, one of the main factors was language, and I think, for an actor, it’s very important to understand what he doesn’t know. So when I went to Mumbai, I didn’t know Hindi, so I started studying Hindi. But for many years, I have also been training in Urdu. I’ve also been reading or doing Urdu plays with my teachers. Over the years, understanding the nuktas, the pronunciations, understanding the flow of Urdu has really helped me grasp the beauty of the language.

How was it being in the midst of such strong, magnificent women on set who have such an epic career history?

TSB: I was definitely starstruck! Manisha ma’am whose movies I watched growing up – I was a big fan of hers. Working with such incredible talent, incredible personalities is really a huge opportunity and blessing – one which very few get a chance to do. But where Farida ma’am is concerned, she’s just so natural – whatever she does, and she’s so quick, you give her the script and she’s like, ‘bang!’ – she’s on it. She’s always sharing her really epic stories – stories that you can really learn from and something that can really change perspectives. I feel that every time I was on set with these wonderful women, I got to feed off their talent as an actor, and I think that really trains you better,

Tell us about how you prepared to play the part of Tajdar?

TSB: Every character that you get to play in life, it chooses you, and there’s a lot of yourself in the character. I feel that that’s how I resonated with Tajdar because of love – I know that I have been in love many times in my life, even head over heels. I know how it feels. I derived from my own personal experiences, the small things like writing a love letter, or leaving a note when she’s sleeping or like smelling her handkerchief. I remember when I was in the tenth grade, my girlfriend left her sweater at my place once before she went for vacation. So, you know, I was this young teenager walking around with her sweater, wallowing in my love for her because of her smell or the fragrance in it. So I believe I’ve I’ve pulled the romantic element from my own life experiences, but it wasn’t very difficult to go into character because I feel everything’s written in the in the story.

What was the best element of your character in Heeramandi?

TSB: I think it was that Tajdar tried to break the patriarchal society and wanted to support women. He wanted to support his love. And I think that that came somewhere from my own backstory.

We hear you have sights set on becoming the first South Asian James Bond?

TSB: I think that our diaspora, South Asian diaspora, needs to be pushed out a bit more. Many times, especially in Hollywood/mainstream films, our communities are either the geeks, the doctors, or they are the comedians. Why can we not play the main lead? I’d love to be able to challenge and change the narrative on that.

So tell us about what’s next for you?

TSB: I’ve just signed on to a couple of projects. One is in the romantic space, and then the other something more patriotic. And then there are a couple of international projects, so watch this space,