Harshvardhan Kapoor on how he landed Bhavesh Joshi, why he's doing unconventional roles and who he considers competition
No one is making the choices I'm making'No one is making the choices I'm making', says the actor
Harshvardhan Kapoor's just one film old and his debut film might not have set cash registers ablaze, but when it comes to making interesting choices, the actor is a step ahead. He has just wrapped up the shooting of his second film Bhavesh Joshi, Vikramaditya Motwane's upcoming vigilante drama, due for release sometime later this year. Here, he talks about his sophomore effort, the reasons behind his unconventional choices...
Nervous about your second release?
Extremely nervous. Honestly, I've given a lot to Bhavesh and I really hope my work reaches people. It's an important film one made with a lot of heart while fighting obstacles every day.
They say that most hit debuts are flukes, so actors have to think harder about their second release. You signed your second even before the first one released...
I first auditioned for Bhavesh Joshi as a 22-year-old even before I signed Mirzya. Vikram (Motwane) turned me down at the time because he felt I was too young and too inexperienced for the kind of film Bhavesh was. I was in love with the script and every time it didn't work out with another actor, I would reach out to Vikram again and again. Eventually, after we had shot Mirzya, Vikram went over to Rakeysh Mehra sir's office who showed him the rushes unedited. After that, Vikram called my agent and said that he wants to reopen the Bhavesh discussion. It was one of the happiest days of my life. From there, after a few months of talking and readings, we decided to make the film.
What can you tell us about your various looks in the film?
I can't tell you much about the looks but there are quite a few different ones in this film. I've changed my body language and physical appearance within the film for the different phases. That's all I can share for now.
What drew you towards the film? Do you like vigilante films in general? Which is your favourite vigilante film?
Bhavesh Joshi has an amazing script. I think it's Vikram's best script so far with a great connect. There's a lot of action as well. And yes, I liked the idea of a vigilante on the streets of Mumbai. My favourite vigilante film would be V For Vendetta.
You missed the 60th birthday party of your mom because you had work in Mumbai. You flew back from London a day before. Could you have stayed back, given people flew in for the party?
The last schedule of Bhavesh was coming up and I couldn't stop thinking about it. I needed to come back and re-read my scenes and get back in shape. Those were scenes you can only shoot once and they last forever. I wanted to put my 100 per cent into it.
Do you follow Ranbir Kapoor's pattern? He too was averse to commercial films in the beginning. He ultimately gave in and did commercial films that got him the numbers...
I don't follow anyone's patterns. I'm more interested in creating my own path. I don't know what I'm going to do tomorrow evening, let alone follow someone else's career choices.
Who are the actors of your generation that you admire and why?
I would say Varun (Dhawan) for his hard work and Arjun (Kapoor) for his sincerity and mental strength. These guys are like my brothers too as we've grown up together.
Does Arjun encourage you?
Arjun is amazing. He is humble, makes good choices for himself, understands the audiences and works very hard. He has a good feeling about Bhavesh and he's always very encouraging.
Who do you consider your closest rival then?
There are no rivals at my age because no one is making the choices that I am making.
https://www.dnaindia.com/bollywood/interview-harshvardhan-kapoor-on-how-he-landed-bhavesh-joshi-why-he-s-doing-unconventional-roles-and-who-he-considers-competition-2457277
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