Tapan was born in Kolkata, India, where his schooling in the quaint Himalayan hill town of Darjeeling left a profound impact on him. Those years helped shape a unique visual aesthetic and it is here that he was first introduced to the world of film and photography. Tapan further went on to study cinematography at the prestigious Film and Television Institute of India.

In 2012, Tapan began shooting commercials and has since lensed over 2500 campaigns to-date, including global brands as Volkswagen, Skoda, Toyota, Ford, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Sony, Procter and Gamble, Blue Cross Insurance, Boss Revolution, Caeser's Palace, Pantene, Levis, Kellogg's, KFC, Nestle, Fisher Price, Adidas, Pepsi, Budweiser, Bacardi, Jameson, Mirinda,Tanisq, Indriya, Bhima, Tata, ITC, HUL, Adani, Reliance, among others.

Tapan's gift lies in capturing the soul of a story and transforming every frame into a delightful visual. He maintains a steady balance of artistry and technique to narrate a story with grace and elegance, leading to his repertoire being recognised by the Indian Society of Cinematographers, of which he was inducted as a member in 2021.

Having already established his mettle in India, Tapan has successfully ventured into the advertisement industries of Southeast Asia, Middle East, Africa as well as the United States. With many prominent brands, agencies, directors and films to his credit, he continues travelling and shooting commercials the world over.

His debut feature film, "Kahaani 2", opened to rave reviews by critics on its cinematography. This was followed by his second film, "Romeo Akbar Walter (R.A.W.)", which was met with equal acclaim and was covered in American Cinematographer. More recently, Tapan shot the "Cla$$" series for Netflix by Ashim Alluwaliya and "Tilchatta" part of anthology series Lust Stories 2 in Netflix featuring Kajol directed by Amit Sharma.

In 2024, his segment "Dream Girl" in Shudder’s V/H/S Beyond series premiered at Fantastic Fest, later earning a nomination at Critics’ Choice Awards, Los Angeles 2025 for Best Film made for Television. Tapan continues to captivate audiences with his evocative imagery, collaborating with top directors and brands across globe.

American Cinematograher - Tapan Basu on making of Romeo Akbar Walter