Taher Shabbir: Playing Naman In ‘Kaala’ Took Quite A Toll On Me

The world of 'Kaala' is created and directed by Bejoy Nambiar. Shabbir plays the character of Naman Arya in the series.

Shabbir said: “I love playing the bad guy, but I seldom get a chance, so I loved every aspect of Naman because he's unabashed about who he is and is disdainful towards anything that doesn't fit his bill.”

“Playing Naman took quite a toll on me post-shoot though. A scene I love is when I'm being interrogated in the police station. Naman had really taken over me in that one. Even the first time I shot with Shakti sir, it was very exciting - he is a legend,” he added.

'Kaala' shows the workings of the parallel economy of black money as white money is turned to black through the process of reverse hawala. It shows the intense pursuit of IB Officer Ritwik (played by Avinash Tiwary) to dismantle a reverse hawala operation from its very core.

Earlier, Shabbir had shared: "Naman is pure evil from the onset. It's because he has never known any better. He's a reflection of his upbringing and a highly disturbed one. He only understands power and victory. He is the one who will love to hate. What intrigued me is how Naman thinks, his past, the grit and resolve."

"My character is the mother of all the deception and hidden agendas in the show. Naman trusts no one and constantly deceives and forges ways. Most importantly, I just love playing a villain in a Bejoy Nambiar project," he said.

The show also stars Rohan Vinod Mehra, Nivetha Pethuraj, Jitin Gulati, Elisha Mayor and Hiten Tejwani.

Produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar and Bejoy Nambiar, it is set to stream from September 15 on Disney + Hotstar.