Tahir Raj Bhasin believes that in some ways, fronting Sultan of Delhi is every boy’s dream come true. “You are playing an all-out alpha character, wearing vintage leather jackets, and using guns,” he smiles. In Milan Luthria’s debut web series, the actor plays the ambitious Arjun, who hopes to become Delhi’s most powerful gangster. “Doing an action drama, heavy on stunts and weapons, sounded incredibly exciting. With Milan Luthria [offerings], you expect grandeur and an element of hyper-realism [even] when the story is rooted,” says the actor.

Before shooting for the Disney+ Hotstar series, Bhasin understood that the director wanted the protagonist to be a swashbuckling hero. “He said, ‘This is a guy who enters the room and takes charge.’ For the part, I had to put on about eight kilos in a month. Then I underwent weapons training. For styling references, we looked at James Dean in terms of the hair and leather jackets. Closer home, Dharmendra-ji of the ’60s and Amitabh Bachchan sir of the ’70s were [our reference points].”