Shanti, the 1994 soap that first put Tailang on the radar, gave him 300 episodes of exposure. But the real drama began when Govind Nihalani called him in for a crucial scene in Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa, only to pull the plug at the last minute. “We had to trim it because of the film’s pacing,” Nihalani told him in a tone that hinted at a hard‑earned lesson. Tailang says the sting of that cut still lingers, a reminder that even a big name can be sidelined.
Fast‑forward to 2004, when Farhan Akhtar and producer Ritesh Sidhwani had him on a track in Lakshya that never saw the light of day. Instead of a curt email, they sent a handwritten note explaining the cut, a courtesy that earned his respect. “I still keep the letter; it’s a testament to their professionalism,” Tailang told the Free Press Journal.
Between those two moments, Tailang spent a decade in a limbo, hopping from Mumbai to Delhi, avoiding the cookie‑cutter roles he’d grown tired of. He taught at the National School of Drama, wrote, directed, and waited for a role that would let him breathe. “I wasn’t interested in playing the usual doctor or policeman,” he says, a quiet defiance that kept him grounded.
The tide turned with Richie Mehta’s Siddharth in 2013, a role that put him back in the spotlight. The momentum carried him to The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel in 2015, sharing scenes with Judi Dench and Maggie Smith, and eventually to Mirzapur The Movie, which smashed ₹200 crore at the box office. That win was the kind of validation that finally put the pieces together.
Now, Tailang is gearing up for Bakaiti season 2 on Zee5, a slice‑of‑life dramedy that reunites the Kataria family in Ghaziabad. With Sheeba Chaddha, Tanya Sharma, and Aditya Shukla back, the series promises laughter, conflict, and that familiar family chaos that made the first season a hit.
Tailang’s journey is a reminder that the road to stardom isn’t a straight line. From a scene cut to a ₹200 crore smash, and now back to the small screen, he’s proving that perseverance pays off. Fans can expect a season that balances humor with heart, and a veteran who’s finally on his terms.