He kicked off the year with two releases, Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein and Ranjish Hi Sahi, in a month. Now, Tahir Raj Bhasin is counting the days to his third and probably wackiest offering, Looop Lapeta. While the unconventional plot of the film — an official adaptation of the German hit, Run Lola Run (1998) — is enough to lure an actor, director Aakash Bhatia was the primary reason Bhasin came on board.

He recalls, “Usually, the writer or the director reads out the script, or asks you to read it. But this is the first narration where the director played every character in the script. He enacted every scene, and I was blown away by the passion with which he narrated.”

In the Netflix film, he plays Satya who asks girlfriend Savi, portrayed by Taapsee Pannu, to help him out of a sticky situation. A quirky ride of time loop and life-altering decisions follows. Bhasin says that the energy on the set translated on screen. “This is the youngest set I have been on. There is a fresh energy that comes with it.”

The actor found the perfect partner-in-crime in co-star Pannu. “With her, what you see is what you get. There is no pretense — that is endearing. If I want an honest opinion in life, I will connect with Taapsee.”

Bhasin adds that the quirky comedy reflects his love for unconventional stories. “It’s an artiste’s job to not play safe. The minute you play safe, you will get stuck in a comfort zone. Personally, I never want to be there.”

The actress has snagged the Hindi adaptation of the German thriller, Run Lola Run, with Tahir Raj Bhasin as her co-star; film will take off in Goa in April
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 18, 2020)

Remember the 1998 thriller, Run Lola Run, which was Germany’s entry for the Oscars in the Best Foreign Language category? It missed out on the coveted statuette but grabbed seven at the German Film Awards, was a hit at the Toronto International Film Festival and got the audience vote at the Sundance Film Festival, going on to find itself a cult following. Now, Mirror has learnt that a Hindi adaptation is in the works, with Taapsee Pannu as the protagonist, originally essayed by Franka Potente, and Tahir Raj Bhasin stepping into Moritz Bleibtreu’s shoes to play her boyfriend. Titled Looop Lapeta, the crazy caper kicks off with ad filmmaker Aakash Bhatia as the director.

Taapsee confirmed the news, saying she feels privileged to be playing some truly author-backed roles at the moment. “Savi is a quirky, insane addition to my repertoire. I love how an iconic film like Run Lola Run has been adapted for the Indian milieu without losing its edge. More excitingly, it’s been laced with amazingly cheeky straight-faced humour. It’s cool in the truest sense of the word and as bold thematically as it is stylistically. I can’t wait to get started,” she exulted.

The original, helmed by young German director Tom Tykwer, took us through three possibilities of a single reality with Lola getting a call from her panicked boyfriend Mannie who is a courier for the mob, informing her that he has left a bag of 100,000 Deutsche marks in drug money on the subway. If he is unable to deliver the money to his gangster boss by noon, he will be killed. They have just 20 minutes to arrange for the money, and stopping Mannie from holding up a bank, Lola hits the streets on a run. In a race against time, the film moves at a dizzying pace, with Tykwe giving the audience three different scenarios, telling the same story in three alternate and parallel timelines, each with minor differences that have a major say in the outcome and alters the fate of the characters in amazing ways.

The makers have spent three years on the script, working with multiple writers before finally getting Dr Vinay Chhawal and Ketan Pedgaonkar on board. Remains to be seen how Run Lola Run, which was way ahead of its time even back in the ’90s, will be customised for a new-age Indian audience. The film rolls in Goa this April.