Tahir Raj Bhasin says he intends to give his '200 percent' while playing Sunil Gavaskar in Kabir Khan's 83

Tahir Raj Bhasin , who will be seen essaying the role of the ‘Little Master’ Sunil Gavaskar in the film 83 feels it is a huge responsibility to play the cricketing legend. “It is indeed a huge responsibility to play Sunil Gavaskar on screen and I definitely want to pass this test by convincing everyone that they are seeing the legend on screen and not me,” Bhasin said. He has not limited his cricket practice to merely the field but is going beyond and focusing on the icon’s special shots. “To achieve this, my on-field practice is designed beyond playing good cricket and is targeted towards playing specific shots in Gavaskar’s style. My time in the nets is being treated like physical choreography for the character,” the actor explained.

Talking about director Kabir Khan’s vision while filming, he said, “Kabir’s vision requires all of us to bring on field nuances to life to show the underdog Indian cricket team’s miraculous World Cup win in England in 1983 and I intend to give this my 200%.” The 32-year old made his debut in Mardaani , alongside Rani Mukerji and proved that he goes into the skin of his character and brings the best out of him. A source close to the actor revealed that since the day Kabir informed Tahir about his role, he has been making sure that he devotes extra time to better his game. The person added that Tahir understands the responsibility he has at his hands and said, “Sunil had his own flair, own swag and he dominated the cricket field with elan. Tahir realised the responsibility at hand and has been hitting the nets ever since.” Tahir cleared out his calendar to incorporate 2 hours of net practice 5 days a week and did it for about 3 months straight, the source elaborated. 83 stars Ranveer Singh as ace cricketer Kapil Dev who captained the team India during the 1983 World Cup. Other names in the team include Saqib Saleem , Addinath M Kothare , Chirag Patil, Harrdy Sandhu, Jiiva , Ammy Virk, Jatin Sarna , Sahil Khattar, R Badree, Dinker Sharma, Dhairya Karwa and Nishnat Dahhiya. Helmed by Kabir Khan, the movie is slated to hit the theatres on 10 April, 2020.