Rahul Dev to play an extremist leader in Sanjay Dutt-starrer Torbaaz, says ‘I didn’t exchange a single blow with anybody’

Rahul Dev has been missing from the silver screen since long but is now gearing up to play the antagonist in Sanjay Dutt-starrer Torbaaz. But before the film gets a release date, Rahul is out with his new web show titled Who’s Your Daddy, in which he plays the father of a bachelor.

In a freewheeling interview with Hindustan Times, Rahul spilled the beans about Torbaaz, his comedy show and falling in love with his house amid lockdown. Excerpts:

You have been missing from the silver screen for so long?

My last release was Mubarakan in 2017. I had two releases after it – one in Tamil and another in Telugu. People in North don’t watch my regional films and come to know about them only when they come on TV. I have a film Torbaaz and then there is another theatrical release in the pipeline, which is complete but is yet to be dubbed. It is a thriller and has a very solid script.

Is Torbaaz under production?

Yes, there were no reports about the film because we have shot the entire film overseas. It was shot in three schedules and most of it was shot in Kyrgyzstan. The dubbing of the film is complete and we have been waiting for its release. Two release dates were being considered but it is yet to be finalised.

What is the film all about?

Torbaaz revolves around a child, a doctor and an extremist leader. Sanjay Dutt plays the doctor and I am in the role of the extremist leader – the antagonist. I play the leader of a fundamentalist group. He has a character arc and doesn’t have any fight scenes. I didn’t exchange a single blow with anybody in the film. It is a beautiful film. A lot of research has been done about the past story of the Talibanis. Talking about Sanjay’s character, the doctor has a strong philosophy of his own.

 Watch Who’s Your Daddy trailer here

You just saw the release of a comedy show Who’s Your Daddy on ALTBalaji and Zee5?

It is a comedy show and my character is a retired subedar. He is a widower and has a son. While the father is a simpleton and is very shy of even talking to women, his son is the exact opposite. He is chubby and doesn’t look like his father at all. His dead mother in the portrait also looks like a complete mismatch to her husband as theirs was an arranged marriage. It revolves around the father who discovers his son’s porn DVD business and the other circumstances that take place. It traces his journey as a widower and eventually his acceptance of the new beginning in life.

How do you take it to playing a father of an adult on screen?

I am a father in real life and have already been in the industry for twenty years now. That’s a long time.

 Rahul Dev’s look in Operation Parindey.

You were recently seen in the film Operation Parindey which released online.

It is about Nabha jail break and is inspired from a real life story as few escaped prisoners were captured within 24 hours. I however felt it was a very short viewing – it was less than an hour. It should have been around 2 hours at least.

Do you watch films and shows on the OTT platforms?

I binge watch a lot on the OTT platforms.I just watched two seasons of Fauda and four seasons of House of Cards. I also loved The Irishman, it was mindboggling. It had my favourite actors – Al Pacino and Robert Di Niro. The technology is commendable, especially the way the actors have been de-aged.

I am doing a big show right now in which the actor is replaced as the character grows older. There are some Indian shows where they take a lot of liberty by just adding a little grey hair and when the father stands with his son, they look like brothers except for the whitener. It’s not that the makers don’t want to do better but the episodes have to go on a daily basis and there is no time to work on it.

What keeps you busy during lockdown?

I have got two scripts – I have read them more than once and have made notes. I am looking after the house which I had completely forgot to take care of. The cupboards which weren’t opened since ages are being arranged now. It’s shining now and am loving it. I am also following news these days and am active on Twitter. I am doing my best to cooperate in whatever capacity I can. I am also in touch with my family in Delhi and also spending some time with Mugdha (Godse) as we never got so much time together.

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