00:00So hello everyone, welcome to NS and congratulations for Shag that's about to release on Netflix on 24th of September.
00:05My first question is for Tahir.
00:08You have wished this.
00:10Since the mic is in your hands, I thought.
00:13So if you could help me walk through your character, the world that he comes from,
00:17the relationship between the two of you that you share and everything that moves around as the piece of puzzle
00:22in this.
00:23Sure. Shag is a mystery thriller.
00:27It's been written by Renzil De Silva and produced by Siddharth P. Malhotra and Alchemy Films.
00:32The story is about a mother who's lost a child and has been searching for that child for nine years
00:39and what impact that search has had on her family and the society around her.
00:44I am the husband, so by virtue of that, I have also lost a child now for nine years.
00:50My character's name is Alok Dutt.
00:53Anvita is married to him and he has the burden of managing the emotional sense of loss and anguish that
01:03the wife is going through,
01:04but also trying to have some semblance of a family and having his idea of a happy family or whatever
01:09happiness he can get.
01:10He is also the father of their second daughter.
01:13He is a son.
01:14He is a friend.
01:16And what makes him interesting is that in every episode, you unravel layers to his character, which only adds pieces
01:22to the puzzle.
01:23And what I particularly enjoyed was the way the script is written.
01:27It was a real page turner.
01:28And I feel like as the show progresses, every character in the show has a character arc that ultimately adds
01:38to the overall mystery with the audience ultimately playing detective.
01:43And coming to you, Pariniti, psychological thriller, if I may call this content piece as what's the best thing to
01:52explore when you get such a character who is dealing with conflicts at her own and internally and then this
01:58whole round of external conflicts also going on.
02:01What's that for you as an actor?
02:03The best part is to play every layer convincingly because such a tragedy in one's life cannot lead to a
02:15singular personality.
02:16You have all these certain, all these different emotions that come into your life, into your mind, into your behavior.
02:23You're different in front of the society.
02:25You're different in front of your household.
02:28You're different amongst friends.
02:30So to play each one of those different emotions convincingly, to make sure that your heart and your support is
02:44with this character was the most interesting for me.
02:48I felt like, you know, she could be crazy and you still understand why she's crazy.
02:55She could be crying and you should know why she's crying.
02:57So that for me was the most fun.
02:59I think I had to keep that kind of emotional continuity, which I really enjoyed exploring.
03:08Yes.
03:08I have always felt that you're a very switch on switch off kind of an actor.
03:11You don't get into too much of, you know, you don't let affect the mood you as a person.
03:17But when you have something like this, when you have to unravel the layers, as you mentioned, how do you
03:22deal with it?
03:23How do you cleanse your system?
03:24How do you come out of that train wreck of emotion if you have to?
03:28No, the word cut cleanses me.
03:30I honestly, not even for a single second carry an emotion.
03:35In fact, people make fun of me that I'm like sobbing and crying and screaming and they say cut and
03:43I'm like, ha ha ha.
03:43I've had people actually enact this to me saying, how are you doing this?
03:49But that's a great quality.
03:50I don't know.
03:51I don't know because I feel like it's not something I do on purpose.
03:56It's just how I am, I think, as a person because I'm truly acting in that moment, however much I
04:02may feel and I have real tears coming out and real emotion and physicality.
04:06But the moment you say cut, I remember that, oh, cut.
04:09Okay, I have nothing to do now.
04:11So I genuinely switch off.
04:15Thank God it's like that because I think I would get very tired because there are many of these heavy
04:19characters that I'm playing nowadays.
04:21I think if I had the hangover, I think I would be exhausted as an artist also and as a
04:26person so most definitely.
04:28And I can't do this one thing just because I'm playing a role in a film or a show.
04:32I can't just carry that emotion throughout my days and waste all that time.
04:36I have a life outside of that set and I have to live that also.
04:40I can't be like, but now I have an emotional scene, so I'm still in this mood in my birthday
04:44party.
04:47Happy birthday.
04:51So, thank God I can switch off because I would have it no other way.
04:56Okay, okay.
04:56And ma'am, coming to you, your presence is so powerful in the trailer.
05:00Barely a few words and I'm like, my whole attention is on your character.
05:04Really?
05:04Yeah, yeah.
05:05If you could help me, how you use silences as an actor?
05:10Oh my gosh, that's a very difficult question.
05:14I don't know if I use silences as an actor.
05:17I actually feel I would like to use them a lot more.
05:21I feel sometimes as actors, we are frightened of silences because we are given lines and our job is to
05:28say those lines.
05:30And I think as I grow as an actor, I'm learning that finding the spaces between those lines is now
05:39becoming what I'm finding interesting for me.
05:45I'm discovering that as an actor, those layers, because we are allowed to do it.
05:49Earlier we were not allowed.
05:50We had those dialogue, chunky dialogue, that we had to say all these kind of flowery things and finish it
05:55off.
05:55But now I think I'm discovering the silences between the words and I'm being allowed to do that as an
06:02actor for the work that I'm doing.
06:05And it's interesting that you mention it because how do I use them?
06:08I don't know how I use it.
06:09But I think, you know, when you're in a scene, you're responding to the other actors there and you're responding
06:16to the situation and you have not switched off.
06:23You're still speaking.
06:26You're just not speaking through words.
06:27You're speaking through your thoughts communicated through your eyes.
06:31And there is always a tricky thing.
06:35How much do you reveal and how much do you conceal?
06:37So at the same time, especially in a thriller like Shaq, you're revealing while you're concealing or you're concealing while
06:46you're revealing or whatever.
06:47So it's quite interesting.
06:49And I think that's in a thriller is when you get or even as people, we do it all the
06:53time, right?
06:54In our daily lives also, we ask questions, but we actually, actually mean something else.
06:58We ask a simple question.
07:00What do you want for dinner today?
07:01But actually, we actually mean, then don't you dare tell me that you want this, this, this or this or,
07:06you know, something like that.
07:07So I think silences are very powerful and fun to explore.
07:14It's a very long answer for your simple question.
07:17I love it actually.
07:18And Tahir, coming to you, Renzil is one storyteller who's associated with intense storytelling.
07:25Rang Devasanti, Kurban, Shaq now.
07:27If you could share your experience of working with him and what do you like the most about him as
07:30a storyteller?
07:32I think the beauty of working with Renzil, sir, is anyone who's interacted with him knows that he is the
07:37sort of definition of calm and chill.
07:39So he's not an intense person himself.
07:42But what I've loved about his work is how he manages to write these great ensemble pieces where every character,
07:49you mentioned Rang Devasanti, that's like cult for my generation.
07:53And I really felt a lot of that kind of that style of writing with Shaq, where every character has
08:03a journey through this series.
08:05And as you go through the series, you realize that it's unlike any other mystery thriller where normally you would
08:12have one crime and then one detective whose point of view you're seeing or one victim's point of view.
08:17But here, of course, Anvita is on that search.
08:20But everyone around her, you often see different vantage points of like what is happening in character X's life.
08:28And that makes it interesting for the audience because ultimately they are piecing together the story.
08:33And with Renzil, I think with the kind of experience that he comes with, he understands that less is more.
08:39He knows that his text does all the work.
08:42So he won't give you micromanaging instructions.
08:46That is the amount of instruction you'll get.
08:52And I think he knows with each of his cast members who he has to sort of churn in which
08:57way in order to get a performance.
09:00And Paneethi, coming to you, Raghup posted a very sweet Instagram post for you.
09:06Starting of the day and then you get something like this from your loved one.
09:10And then you have to go for the interviews, a hectic schedule.
09:12What plays on your mind generally in things like these?
09:15Yeah, he really, it was a very sweet surprise.
09:18And because his social media is all about politics, policy, governance.
09:24But a sweet surprise like this where he's doing a nice little filmy, almost romantic post for my work is
09:31quite a sweet surprise.
09:32I think it's very thoughtful of him.
09:34And he is actually a very thoughtful boy.
09:36And he's just all heart.
09:39So these are the sweet little things he does that really take my heart away actually.
09:44So yeah, I can put you in a great mood and it just reminds you of your partner.
09:49You know, partner standing behind you even though I'm here.
09:54My baby's at home.
09:55He's with my baby.
09:56So just all these things really can encourage a woman, you know, encourage a human.
10:03Just to smile and I can be at promotions happy and worry free.
10:07And it's the sweetest gift I think your partner can give you.
10:11So yeah, I feel good.
10:12And for my last question, it's for ma'am and for you.
10:15Yes.
10:17Currently on social media, people troll a lot of artists because they're easily accessible on social media.
10:23Recently we saw people were trolling Katrinakai for which Salman Sir stood up.
10:27Correct.
10:27As women who witness all these things, you know, for someone else or I'm sure aapke label trolling hua hua
10:35kaphi na kaphi.
10:36How do you deal with it?
10:37And do you think that even in 2026, the society is still not over body shaming women or no, it's
10:44not passed beyond that?
10:47Yeah, I don't deal with it because actually I don't even look at it.
10:50If it happens to me, first of all, mostly I'm not aware of it because I don't spend that much
10:55time on social media.
10:57And even if I'm aware of it, it makes no difference to me.
11:00I'm just too true to my life.
11:02I'm just too true to my, you know, my time, my family, my friends, my own life.
11:09I really couldn't be bothered about unknown people talking about me.
11:14It has nothing to do with me.
11:16I have no time for this nonsense.
11:18Regarding your second question of 2026 and body shaming women, oh, I find it uneducated and bizarre.
11:27I just find it absolutely bizarre.
11:29I, you know, I find it bizarre that especially postpartum women are even discussed.
11:39I don't understand why.
11:40I just don't get it.
11:42I genuinely don't get it.
11:43If a woman has produced a baby and there is some evidence of that on her body, why is it
11:51negative?
11:52It's a sign of superhuman strength.
11:54Isn't that beautiful evidence?
11:54Isn't that beautiful evidence?
11:56Like you go to the Maldives and you have tanned skin.
12:00That's evidence of you being in the Maldives.
12:01You go to the gym and you have abs.
12:03That's evidence of you working out in the gym.
12:06You fall down and break your leg and you have a cast on your leg.
12:09That's evidence that you fell down and broke your bones.
12:12So why is producing a human being for nine months giving you the necessary changes in your body that were
12:20required to make that baby a healthy baby?
12:23Why is that discussed?
12:25And even if it's discussed, why is it negative?
12:28I would look at a postpartum woman and be like, have you just produced a baby?
12:32I can see it.
12:33It's beautiful.
12:34Oh my God.
12:35How's your baby?
12:36I see it like that.
12:37How can you say anything negative about this thing that a woman has said?
12:42And especially something as stupid as weight?
12:45Oh Lord.
12:46Okay.
12:47Clearly they don't have lives.
12:49They definitely don't have education.
12:50They don't have basic human decency.
12:53So I don't have time for all this nonsense and no woman should even waste a single breath of hers
12:59to even listen to all this.
13:01Yeah.
13:02So basically I think as actors, if all of us started reacting to comments and trolls, we wouldn't get out
13:11of bed in the morning because you can't.
13:13So I think we all have a defense mechanism.
13:17Whereby we probably don't, I don't see it.
13:19I'll switch it off.
13:20So I think that's the one way to, the only way actually to deal with negativity because I don't want
13:29negativity in my life.
13:31And as I said earlier, I think that we are very grateful because we get a lot of love.
13:36I look at the love.
13:38I don't see the negativity, whatever it is.
13:41And for whatever reason that that might be there.
13:44There are nowadays, I have come to understand.
13:47I didn't even know this because you don't know these things, right?
13:51People tell you slowly that there are things like campaigns and there are this and there are that.
13:57So, like, you know, put it to one side.
13:59Don't, don't, you know, it cannot, it cannot affect you.
14:02You have to be, you have to live your life.
14:04That's one.
14:05Second thing is, and how you do that is up to you.
14:07Whether you look at it, don't look at it, that's your problem.
14:09Second thing is about body shaming and that.
14:11I think it is a reflection of the society we have created.
14:15You know, everything that we do, like films are a reflection of society.
14:19Also, so is social media, a reflection of a society that you are creating.
14:23You have created a society that puts so much importance on how you look, which cosmetics you are using, which
14:32brand of magnesium are you having, which this are you doing, what that are you doing, which muscle are you
14:38building, which are you not building, are you slim, are you fat, are you this, are you that.
14:41I mean, at the end of the day, this is the society that we're living in.
14:45So, this is a result of that.
14:48People, I seem to think, have nothing else to do.
14:52I don't know, you know.
14:54So, yes, I believe in freedom of speech.
14:56If by all means, this makes you happy, go ahead and do it.
14:59I think it's a terrible waste of time.
15:01I think there's much more that you could be doing with your time.
15:04Much more, many more productive things that you could be doing.
15:07I completely agree with what Pairi says about, you know, the fact that when you produce a baby, it is
15:13a wonderful thing.
15:14And if it has an effect on your body, it has to have an effect on your body.
15:18You cannot possibly look like a Barbie doll and produce a baby.
15:20It's not possible.
15:21It's humanly impossible.
15:21Yeah, it's ridiculous.
15:22And the second thing is, the other thing is ageism.
15:25There's a whole thing about ageism and, you know, all that also.
15:29So, just because you happen to be, you know, a slightly more grown-up actor, I'm talking about myself, not
15:37older, I would say grown-up, grown-up actor.
15:42Does it mean that you shouldn't act or you shouldn't, you know, do your best to look nice or you
15:49shouldn't be on social media or I shouldn't, you know, put myself out there?
15:53No, I don't think so.
15:54I think I'm going to enjoy my life.
15:55I'm going to do what I want to do.
15:57And if you don't like it, it's okay.
16:00It's your choice.
16:01Okay, this is my choice.
16:02That's your choice.
16:03Each to his own.
16:04I think I'll leave it at that.
16:05Absolutely.
16:06Yeah.
16:06Perfect.
16:07So, with that, we have reached the end of this conversation.
16:08If there's anything that I may have been asking as a question or something that you would have loved to
16:11talk about, so please feel free.
16:15Not from me.
16:16No?
16:16That's it.
16:17Okay.
16:17Perfect.
16:18So, on that note, thank you so much and I wish you all the best for Shakh on 24th September.
