With hits such as Thakita Thakita, Prema Ishq Kaadhal and Anaamika under his belt in the South Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, the Telugu film star Harshvardhan Rane is making his Bollywood debut as the leading man in Sanam Teri Kasam, out in the UAE this Thursday.
The actor was meant to debut with John Abraham-produced Satra Ko Shaadi Hai and also had been offered a role in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Ramleela, Goliyon Ki Rasleela, which he turned down, deciding instead to make his way into Bollywood as Inder in Sanam Teri Kasam, a sombre and introverted young man — a character not too far from his personality.
“I strongly believe, that when you are cast in a role, there will be similarity in the character and you — why else would you be chosen for the character?” Rane told tabloid!. “Inder has this raw appeal about him. Circumstances in his childhood lead him to become this intense character who is a traveller and gets a tattoo in every place he visits”.
Rane said he drew inspiration from Bollywood superstar Salman Khan to play Inder.
“Well, he is a combination of Salman sir and my father,” he said.
“Salman sir has this raw attitude and sombre nature, and my father had an earthy appeal and a warm way of talking. My father looked like this serious guy, but was actually a very kind person. I imbibed a lot of his gestures — the way he used to lean against a wall, the way he worked his hands. That’s what I’ve told my directors [Vinay Sapru and Radhika Rao] that Inder is a combination of both these people”.
Along with all his tattoos Rane can be seen working out a buffed body in the trailers of Sana Teri Kasam.
“Even though I’ve been working in South Indian films since 2010, I don’t think anyone has visualised me in this way,” he said.
“And it has worked wonderfully because those who’ve been following my work have been pleasantly surprised in such physical form. While explaining the character, Radhika and Vinay had told me that Inder is so fit, but a little raw in appearance. That’s when I approached John sir and he forwarded me to his trainer, Vinod Channa”.
Like any other man, food is important to him, the 32-year-old actor said. But for this film he had to follow a strict Paleo diet to achieve Inder’s raw appeal. “I had to go on the strict caveman diet where you eat only vegetables, chicken and egg whites. This diet in many ways sounds right to me and it has worked wonderfully”.
Already popular in the Telugu film industry, Rane says that he didn’t find working for Sanam Teri Kasam any different from his other films.
“Five years ago my answer would have been different. But now with films such as Bahubali doing tremendously well in South Indian languages as well as in Hindi, I think the lines of separation have fused because there’s so much exchange with technicians, planning, the script between Hindi and Telugu films. The big screen is the same, the popcorn is the same too. And at the end of the day it’s down to numbers — the audience that comes in”.
“But as you would know I’m no star kid or someone with a family in the film industry. For me, there’s one film at a time and my only benchmark is that my current film should be better than my last one, and I’ve made sure of that. If you Google the trailer of my first film — which I request you not to — you’ll see the vast change in my approach towards my profession and the slow gain of maturity in performing. This is the only criteria I live my life by”.
But wasn’t there news of him being a cousin of Abraham’s?
“It was a pleasant shocker when I read that. I’m going to share that piece of news with John sir and I’m sure he too will have a good laugh. Not that I would have minded it because there’s this general perception that it’s a little easier for newcomers related to stars, but at the same time, I feel, they face an entirely different kind of pressure”.
It was six years after his parents split up that 16-year-old Rane ran away from home to Delhi and did odd jobs in cafes and distributed DVDs before going to Mumbai and doing the same. He ended up doing a TV show in Mumbai and theatre. But Hyderabad was calling.
“I’ve always felt there’s been guardian angels watching over me and planning my career very rigorously. They decided my mother will be Telugu and my father would be a Maharashtrian even though we lived in Gwalior [Madhya Pradesh]. That’s why I went to Hyderabad. Thankfully, I’ve known both languages and was fairly knowledgeable of both film industries”.
Just days before the film’s release, news of co-star Mawra Hocane’s crush on him is making the rounds. Even though he calls her “this princess-looking girl straight out of a fairy tale”, Rane laughs at the thought that he has someone to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year.
“I’ve been single for the last eight years now so that question is wasted on me,” said Rane, laughing.
“I’ve had only one relationship in my life and I live with the same girl and her new boyfriend in Mumbai. We are like family because we’ve known each other for over 12 years, out of which we dated for about five. She’s the only person who’s seen my journey because after leaving home I’ve not been in touch with any of my relatives. She’s someone who’s seen me through everything. Yes, it’s [Valentine’s Day is] a great day — a lovely looking pink day with some nice weather, but I have no such commercial plans. So I’m going to spend it the same way I’ve been spending it the last eight years”.
Five minutes later I receive a text from Rane with pictures of him in a wilderness setting by a lake or river, cooking on a portable hob in the back of his all-terrain vehicle named Django.
“This is how I spend all my Valentine’s Day and this is how it’ll be this year too,” he wrote.
