Harshvardhan Rane – Actor Harshvardhan Rane gets candid with The Telegraph

At the OTTplay Awards held recently, actor Harshvardhan Rane won the honor for Best Actor in a Negative Role for his short but hard-hitting role in Haseen Dillruba. Since this film, the reluctant actor has chained a lot of big projects, including Tara against Bilal, produced by John Abraham, whose theatrical release is scheduled for October 28. The Telegraph spoke with the always affable and honest Harsh to find out more.

Congratulations on the award for Haseen Dillruba. You have signed a lot of films, and Tara against Bilal, of course, comes out at the end of October…

The awards for Haseen Dillruba are coming now, but by the time I made this film, the prominent filmmakers I had wanted to work with had already seen Taish. This got them signed for their films. Dharma Cornerstone Agency (DCA, Karan Johars talent agency) signed me up after Taish. Watching me in the space they imagined me in is what will make them sign me, I can feel it.

After Haseen Dillruba, I signed four films. A lot of it goes back to how Bejoy sir (Nambiar, the director of Taish) set me up and presented me in this movie. A silent, romantic lover, that’s what I played there. And any filmmaker had a history with a character who had a similar graphic called me for a role. So Taish started it for me and Haseen Dillruba was the icing on the cake.

The films on which you have signed are quite diverse in genres…

Yes. Every actor’s dream is to be as diverse as possible. After Haseen Dillruba, I finished Kun Faya Kun, which is a time travel film. And then I finished Tara versus Bilal, which is a romantic drama that was shot in London. After that I finished Miranda Brothers, directed by Sanjay Gupta sir, which was filmed in Goa three months ago. I shot half of Bejoy Nambiars Dange. It has an absolutely different look. The way people were shocked by my look in Taish… it will be a pleasant surprise for them to see what I look like in Dange. Miranda Brothers is a sports movie and Dange, by its very name, you know what it is (laughs).

So all the different movies that show different shades of me. I do not consider my films as simple films… each film for me is a CV that I send to the world.

There has also been talk of a possible sequel to your Bollywood debut Sanam Teri Kasam. What is happening on this front?

Mr. Vinay Sapru (co-director of Sanam Teri Kasam) spoke about it. Confirmation must come from the side of producers and directors. And when it does, I’ll be totally ready to go for the shoot. They just have to say the word! (Laughs) The fact that the film, despite not doing well at the box office, created the buzz for a sequel, is entirely due to the support from social media. I totally owe this one to the audience. They kind of forced the creators to think ki ab toh bana na hi padega.

Last time we spoke, we discussed the mental pressures of being in this business. With your career improving now, mentally and emotionally, what kind of space are you in?

There is a lot of gratitude. I find myself thanking a lot. Whether I do guided or unguided meditation, it puts me in a state where I find myself thanking all the spirits, energies and forces that have enabled me to achieve quality work.

So, is Harsh still as grounded as he always was?

Not being punished isn’t even an option for me. I come from a small town (Gwalior). I ran away from home when I was 16. I worked as a waiter, in an MST booth, in an internet cafe and as a courier… I did so many odd jobs. In 2004, I delivered a helmet to John Abraham and today I made a film produced by him (smile). For me, earth is the only state of being.

How has the industry’s response to you changed after the success you’ve had?

Honestly, I don’t have much of a clue about this because I don’t hang out with people in the industry a lot. I always feel like they are too big for me to spend time with. I feel like I don’t deserve this star in their circle. But yeah, when a top filmmaker calls and singles out one of my performances for praise, then I feel validated.

But isn’t networking an essential part of your profession?

Spending time in a pack, being part of a clan and knowing who is the master of this clan, brings a feeling of community, of belonging. Networking is very important, but I think this is the time to be honest about your personality. If you’re not that outgoing person, don’t pretend to be. One can easily see through an uncomfortable personality trying to fit in.

Honestly, I’ve been on that side. Once I was so uncomfortable in a meeting that people came up to me and said I looked terrified! (Laughs) I thought it was important to network and so I pushed myself, I rented clothes that I couldn’t afford to buy. It didn’t look good on me, my hair was buried under so many products and I looked and felt so uncomfortable.

I did a few and then gave up after thinking, Harsh, people can see through the pretense. Don’t put yourself through this. Then I stopped.

And once you stop doing all that, you can’t complain that no one clicked you at the airport. Arre, aapne hi to choose kiya hain.

And honestly, this pandemic has brought out my introverted side so much! (Laughs) We all had a lot of time back then and I read about introverts and why I feel so uncomfortable in public spaces.

What do you do when you’re not playing?

I’m only a month away from what has always been a dream of having a motorhome, that is, a house on wheels. I dreamed about it for 10-12 years, but I didn’t have the money for it. Once I get it, I think I’ll have to get a satellite phone too! It’s going to be really hard to keep me in town after that (laughs).