Rajesh Tailang on Delhi Crime, Commando 3 and Selection Day 2

The Selection Day actor is gearing up for a solid line-up this year, beginning with the Netflix true-crime original, Delhi Crime
Rajesh Tailang on Delhi Crime, Commando 3 and Selection Day 2

Rajesh Tailang shot to fame in the digital space for his performance as a domineering father in Netflix’s Selection Day. The show, co-starring Mohammad Samad and Yash Dholye, was based on Arvind Adiga’s sports fiction novel of the same. Speaking about the positive response to Selection Day and the advantages of long-form storytelling, Tailang says, “The OTT revolution has created a great space for actors like me, who are not considered leads or protagonists and are slotted as ‘character actors’. The format allows both length and depth for the exploration of supporting characters, like the father’s journey in Selection Day. There was a lot of attention to his arc. It was something that would’ve been impossible in the feature film format.”

Tailang agrees that premium streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video have raised the standards of content creation in India. He says, “Selection Day was co-produced by Anil Kapoor Films and Seven Stories and commissioned by Netflix. As a platform, Netflix has high standards of quality control. I remember beforing shooting for the show, we had to go through anti-harassment workshops to ensure the workspace remains safe. I have done another show for Netflix, Delhi Crime, which is based on the police investigation into the 2012 Delhi gang rape case. It's releasing on March 22.”

Asked about his role in Delhi Crime, Tailang shares, “So the Delhi incident had happened on December 16 and by December 21 the police had nabbed all the six culprits. The investigators had done a great job under ample pressure and agitation. The show is based on the two officers who had led the investigation, former DCP Chaya Sharma and former SIT head Rajendra Singh. We have changed their names to Vartika Chaturvedi, played by Shefali Shah, and Bhupendra Singh, played by me.”

On the big screen, Tailang was last seen in the feature films Mukkabaaz and Aiyaary, both of which were released last year. The actor has a solid line up of releases this year, with a decided focus on the digital space. 

“Up next I will be seen in the feature film Commando 3, where I play the head of the ATS Squad, earlier played by Adil Hussain in Commando 2. On the digital front, I have Mirzapur 2, Selection Day 2 and a new web-series with Apoorva Lakhia,” Tailang says, signing off. 

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