Heeramandi star Taha Shah Badussha wants to be first Indian James Bond
The breakout star of the Hindi-language Netflix series wants to land "meaty, acting-orientated roles" in Hollywood.
Despite a flurry of rumours a few months ago that Aaron Taylor-Johnson was set to be named as the next James Bond, the role of Britain's most iconic spy remains vacant for now – and a new name has just thrown his hat into the ring.
Taha Shah Badussha – one of the stars of Netflix's recent international hit Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar – has revealed that he harbours ambitions to become the first Indian actor to play the character.
In an interview with Deadline, he said: "Let’s put it out there, I want to be the first Indian James Bond. Why not?"
He added that he wanted to land "meaty, acting-orientated roles" in Hollywood following the success of the Hindi-language series, with hopes of joining the likes of Dev Patel and Kumail Nanjiani "in the leading man space".
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Shah played the role of Tajdar Baloch in the Netflix show and will return for the already-confirmed second season, teasing that "there’s something special in store for season 2".
The series was officially renewed at the start of June – little over a month after it debuted on the streamer – with creator Sanjay Leela Bhansali explaining that he was "blessed by the love and appreciation" for season 1 and was "happy to announce that we’ll be back with season 2".
Read more:
- Aaron Taylor-Johnson 'hasn't been cast as James Bond' – but it could still happen
- Heeramandi’s tragic finale shows that some of the best TV doesn’t end happily
As for who is most likely to replace Daniel Craig as Bond, Taylor-Johnson remains the frontrunner for now.
Back in March, it was reported that he had been offered the role, and although cold water was soon poured on those rumours by sources close to Taylor-Johnson, there remains a distinct possibility that he will eventually be cast.
Over the years, a whole host of actors have been linked to the role – especially in the time since Craig officially handed in his Walther PPK following the release of No Time to Die in 2021.
Stars who have been rumoured include everyone from Idris Elba and Tom Hardy to James Norton and Regé-Jean Page, and although most of those options now seem unlikely, we won't be able to say for sure until an official announcement is made.
Here's hoping it's soon!
Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar is available to stream on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
Check out more of our Drama or Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
