Entertainment correspondent :
Strange she was. Shrouded, like a sin. Obvious, like a sacred deed. And sometimes, illogical like fate. She had a habit of tugging at the sleeves of her pullover. Due to superstition, she always sneezed thrice in a row. The crevice in between her collarbones housed a beautiful mole.Khufiya’s” starting scene introduced Tabu, aka Krishna Mehra describing her lover- secret agent Octopus in an intimate manner. Usually, we get to see a man describe his lover with such intricate details, but Vishal Bhardwaj, famous for weaving strong feminine characters, changed the dynamics by introducing a romance between two agents who found love across borders.Khufiya” was released on Netflix on October 5. Above all else, Bangladesh’s own Azmeri Haque Badhan’s and Tabu’s chemistry became the focal point of the film. The tension-filled interactions between Octopus and KM culminated in an atmosphere that could be cut through with a blunt butter knife.I truly didn’t have to act to fall in love with Tabu- I was already in love with her. She is so down to earth and humble, it really mesmerised me. When I first got the script, I was extremely anxious about performing in front of Tabu, but she made it so comfortable for me that it didn’t feel like I was interacting with Tabu at all. It felt like Tabu and Octopus were present in the sets,” said Badhan.
One of the more iconic scenes from “Khufiya” is the awakening of Tabu’s true desires, which Badhan does a masterful job of poking, prodding and teasing until the truth reveals itself.
“The kitchen sequence was shot with just Tabu, me, Vishal Bhardwaj, and cinematographer. Everyone was told to leave from that set and the monitor was set in the ground. We did that in one take, and when we did it, there was pin drop silence. Vishal said that he loved it. I never kissed anyone on-screen and he described the scene so beautifully. Everyone at the set clapped for us,” added the actress.During the filming of the movie, Vishal Bhardwaj was looking for a Bangladeshi actress to play the role of Heena Rahman. The web-film had a bold and daring plot and thus it wasn’t easy to find an actress for the role of secret agent Octopus. However, Badhan was hell bent on essaying the character as it had unparalled layers to it.
As an artiste, I have the right to chose what kind of roles I would want to play. Till I was 35 years old, I lived the way society wants their women to live. I tried my best to be the ‘ideal woman’ and when I failed, and I had to fight for my daughter’s guardianship. I realised that I had no existence as a human being in this society. I see no reason why I wouldn’t want to work with Vishal Bhardwaj and Tabu in a film as an artiste. I wanted to take this challenge and prove my merit,” said the actress.
The director of “Pink”, Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury personally messaged her to compliment on her acting. After the release of the film, Tabu also informed Badhan about how people in Bollywoood are commending her work in the espionage thriller.
Indian media has applauded Badhan for her bold portrayal of agent Octopus.”I know that there are lots of people in society who have different orientations. All human beings, despite their limitations or gender identity, should have their basic rights be given to them. I was never really worried about portraying my character as I believe she has her freedom and social rights as well. I really can’t comprehend why one class of people should have all the rights while the others are rejected from the society,” concluded the actress.
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