Tahir Raj Bhasin becomes ’40s star Shyam

Tahir Raj Bhasin, who made his debut as the bad guy in Mardaani, will be seen as the ’40s superstar Shyam in Manto. He essays the role of Saadat Hasan Manto’s (played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui), close friend and confidante, who was even the inspiration behind a few of his stories. 

Shyam shot to fame in the ’40s for his hits like Dillagi and Patanga. Manto and he briefly stayed together in Bombay during the pre-Partition days when the former was writing and the latter was looking for work as an actor. It is this camaraderie and the way this friendship impacted Manto’s journey that Tahir and Nawaz will depict in the film. 

Directed by Nandita Das, Manto is in the global spotlight with the ongoing Cannes Film Festival where it has been featured in the Un Certain Regard section.

Like the real-life persona, Tahir’s look is that of a suave gentleman who sports a pencil moustache and a slightly wavy hairstyle. Those who knew Shyam describe him as a charmer and a complete ladies’ man. 

The Bombay Talkies production Majboor (1948) was his big hit. The success of the songs Mere Piya Gaye Rangoon (Patanga) and Tu Mera Chand Main Teri Chandani (Dillagi) propelled the yesteryear actor  to stardom before he accidentally died while performing a stunt on the sets of his film, Shabistan.