Tawsif’s ‘Rockstar’ dreams come true

"I have always liked grey characters but somehow three years ago I found myself mostly playing comedic characters as my audiences and directors wanted to see me in those roles. However, after the pandemic, I finally got the chance to pursue what I've always wanted—roles in psychological thrillers," confessed an ecstatic Tawsif Mahbub.

Breaking away from his conventional comedic roles, the popular small-screen actor is eager to challenge himself as an actor. From playing a serial killer to a professor and now a rockstar, he is ready to mould himself to fit each performance.

According to Tawsif, it felt as though playing a rockstar came naturally to him. He used to be a bassist and manager of his musical band The Manager, before pursuing acting.

Photo: Collected

"I always wanted to perform as a rockstar but before I could head towards achieving it, I left music to become an actor. I also had a desire to tell a story that incorporated elements of my real life and performing on stage came naturally to me, as I had already performed in 100 stage shows as a band member," explained the actor.

In "Didha", the actor played the role of a musician in front of organic audiences who came to watch the shooting. "Our director, Mohidul Mohim bhai, wanted to make the concert scene grand, and since the shoot took place at Cox's Bazar, I decided to create an event page a week before the shoot to let my fans know where we would be filming." 

Photo: Sheikh Mehedi Morshed

"As a result, hundreds of people showed up, along with individuals who were already at the shooting spot. I had to keep the audience engaged because filming scenes requires a lot of time. When the performance scene was rolling, I acted, and when the director called 'cut,' I became the host to keep the crowd entertained," added the actor.

The drama "Didha" starring Tawsif and Keya Payel is scheduled to be released by the end of this month on Sultan Entertainment's YouTube channel. 

On the other hand, the "Chader Haat"-famed actor, who is an extrovert at heart, transformed himself into a solemn and serious professor for his role in Vicky Zahed's directorial "Chokro" for iScreen."

"I had to play a 40-something-year-old philosophy professor called Humayun, who is deeply knowledgeable about the human psyche. To fit into the role, some of my hair was dyed gray. The dialogues were lengthy, so I had to memorise them," he stated when speaking about the character. 

"As someone who typically enjoys a more spontaneous approach to acting, I even had to read research papers to prepare for the role. It was challenging but, in the end, people's appreciation made up for it."

Earlier this year, the actor was seen playing the role of a serial killer in Vicky Zahed's "Hajot", which was released on Club 11 Entertainment's YouTube channel. Fans were confident that it was indeed the prequel to the "Punorjonmo" universe.

Photo: Sheikh Mehedi Morshed

However, Tawsif laughed at the assumption and said, "Who told you that?" The actor neither denied nor accepted it as a prequel. Instead, he left it to the director to decide whether to make it a part of the universe.

"Vicky is renowned for his plot twists, so for my role as Iqbal Haque in 'Hajot', I had to keep a subtle approach, portraying the character in a way that made him appear completely unremarkable and without suspicion."

"Then, in a shocking turn at the end, it is revealed that Iqbal was the serial killer all along. We managed to keep the audience on the edge of their seats right up to the finale," the actor reflected.

Upon being asked about his rising OTT popularity and whether he would leave TV dramas, the actor replied, "My audience is my power, and I never want to let go of that. Unless I choose to focus on films, which might require me to step away from the small screen, I have no intention of leaving. I love dramas and enjoy working on television productions," stated the actor.