Actor Tahir Raj Bhasin, who has been receiving positive feedback for his performance in the recently released streaming series Shaque: Trust No One, has praised director Rensil D’Silva for his calm demeanour and collaborative approach to filmmaking.
Speaking to IANS during the show’s promotional activities in Mumbai, Tahir appeared alongside his co-stars Parineeti Chopra and Soni Razdan. He said that despite being known for crafting intense stories, D’Silva is an extremely relaxed person on set.
“The beauty of working with him is that anyone who has interacted with him will tell you that he is the definition of calm and chill. So, Rensil D’Silva is not an intense person himself,” Tahir said.
The actor also praised the director’s ability to develop ensemble casts in which every character has a meaningful journey. Recalling a discussion about Rang De Basanti, which has achieved cult status among his generation, Tahir said he found a similar quality of character-driven writing in the series.
“What I have loved about his work is his ability to craft these ensemble characters. We were talking about ‘Rang De Basanti’ — that film is a cult for my generation. And I really felt that kind of writing with this series as well, where every character has a journey through the series,” he said.
Tahir further highlighted the show’s storytelling style, which allows viewers to piece together the mystery through different perspectives rather than following a conventional thriller structure.
“As you go through the series, you realise that it’s unlike any other mystery thriller. In this series, you get to see different vantage points, and that makes it interesting for the audience because they are the ones who are piecing together the puzzle,” he said.
He added that D’Silva gives actors the freedom to interpret their roles without excessive direction.
“And he doesn’t give you micro-managing instructions. He will only tell you what is required of you; the rest he leaves up to you as an actor,” Tahir said.
Shaque: Trust No One explores the fragile nature of trust, suspicion and betrayal. The story follows a mother who has spent nine years searching for her missing child. Although she receives photographs of the child every year, she remains desperate to uncover the truth. As her investigation progresses, she begins to suspect that the answers to the abduction may lie within her own circle.
The series is directed by Rensil D’Silva and created by D’Silva and Siddharth P. Malhotra. Its cast also includes Jennifer Winget, Anup Soni, Harleen Sethi and Sumeet Vyas. The show is available to stream on Netflix.