Taher
Shabbir,
the
good-looking
actor
from
television,
film
and
web
series,
is
playing
the
main
lead
in
ALTBalaji's
show
Bekaaboo
season
2.
The
actor
calls
the
recent
consolidation
in
the
entertainment
industry
a
terrible
thing.
He
said,
"It
is
curtains
if
you
mess
with
the
wrong
lot.
This
mess
is
inevitable,
but
then
we
are
just
small
fry.
First,
the
British
ruled
us,
then
in
the
nineties,
Rupert
Murdoch
controlled
all
media
assets
in
India.
Now,
global
studios
and
streaming
giants
like
Amazon
dominate
everything.
By
acquiring
all
the
major
actors,
they
also
get
the
lion's
share
of
the
profits."
"Even
desi
powerhouses
like
Karan
Johar
are
bringing
all
filmmaking
elements
in-house.
For
example,
Dharma
Productions
has
even
started
casting," adds
Taher.
Talking
about
the
rising
power
of
desi
over-the-top
(OTT),
with
big
B-towners
making
a
digital
splash,
he
says,
"This
is
happening
as
there
is
more
money
on
offer.
A-listers
will
do
OTT
only
if
paid
their
box
office
worth.
Otherwise
why
will
Aamir
Khan,
who
earns
Rs
1,000
crore
for
Dangal
at
the
box
office,
agree
to
come
online
for
just
Rs
200-300
crore."
"But
the
big-ticket
crossover
is
yet
to
happen.
For
now,
many
films
are
directly
releasing
on
OTT
only
due
to
pandemic
restrictions.
Over
time,
50-60%
of
content
will
move
from
theatrical
only
to
OTT
as
well," prophesizes
Taher.
He
further
added,
"The
entry
of
big
players
like
Netflix
and
Amazon
Prime
Video
has
changed
the
ball
game.
They
bring
in
a
tremendous
amount
of
professionalism
and
clout.
Their
setups
are
also
well-organised,
with
complete
data
on
hand."
Taher
has
done
the
Ruchi
Narain
thriller
Guilty
for
the
above
American
streamer,
and
Poison
2
for
ZEE5.
Shifting
gears
to
Bekaaboo
2,
Taher
says,
"My
character
Kiyan
has
come
out
of
jail,
promising
revenge
against
Anaysha
(Subha
Rajput)
and
her
sister
Kashti
(Priya
Banerjee).
In
his
mind,
he
feels
wronged.
Whatever
little
he
might
have
erred,
it
was
not
a
sufficient
charge
to
ruin
his
life.
I
worked
on
my
body
language
to
reflect
his
incarceration.
Kiyan
is
not
dapper
looking."
Since
your
character
was
an
erotica
writer
in
Bekaboo
season
1,
do
you
also
have
bold
scenes
in
Bekaboo
season
2?
"I
have
none,
while
most
other
actors
have.
I
was
embarrassed
when
I
saw
Kiyan
(Rajeev
Siddharth
was
playing
the
character
in
Bekaboo
1)
doing
what
he
did.
The
creative
told
me
not
to
follow
any
actor
but
do
my
own
thing."
Taher,
who
got
first
noticed
in
the
Star
Plus
show
Nisha
Aur
Uske
Cousins,
says,
"Tube
actors
have
mastered
the
skill
of
mugging
up
pages
of
dialogue
in
a
few
minutes.
No
film
star
will
be
able
to
match
this
breakneck
speed."
He
adds,
"However,
I
am
not
just
a
small
screen
actor.
I
started
behind
the
camera,
assisting
film
director
Sudhir
Mishra
(on
Khoya
Khoya
Chand
and
others).
The
only
reason
I
said
yes
to
TV
was
that
Viraj
Singh
Rathore
(Nisha
Aur
Uske
Cousins
character)
was
not
your
everyday
daily
soap
character."
Since
then,
Taher
has
done
films
like
Fan,
Naam
Shabana
and
Bypass
Road.
"For
me,
the
medium
is
irrelevant;
my
character's
contribution
to
the
narrative
is
my
only
concern.
Looking
ahead,
I
want
to
make
a
big
cine
splash
with
Karan
Johar,
Sanjay
Leela
Bhansali
and
yes,
the
top-ranking
women
directors
like
Zoya
Akhtar
and
Reema
Kagti.
I
love
their
vision."
"And
last
but
not
the
least,
I
love
Ekta
Kapoor
(producer
of
Bekaaboo),
a
great
film
producer
who
also
gives
the
international
platforms
a
run
for
their
money,
courtesy
ALTBalaji," he
concludes.