Harshvardhan Kapoor: If the work is honest you can sleep well at night

Harshvardhan Kapoor

His last two films did not do well at the box office but Harshvardhan Kapoor is not deterred, as the actor says he is aware that it is extremely difficult to make a movie which will have a universal appeal. The actor's debut in 2016 Mirzya and his this year's follow up Bhavesh Joshi were low key performers at the ticket window, though the actor received praise, especially for his performance in Vikramaditya Motwane's vigilante superhero film.

Harshvardhan says his films are a representation of who he is and he stands by his choices. "I look at the movies I have done at 26 years of age and then I look at other movies that are making money, sometimes I wonder would I really want to be a part of (those)? I am really happy with the work I do. It is a very personal thing, you're in it for yourself," Harshvardhan tells PTI. Both the failures, the actor says, taught him about people's sensibilities. "I am still coming to terms with that. You learn about how people would like to see you. It's hard, there are so many different kinds of people, how do you make them happy with one piece of art. You have to also make yourself happy. It's tricky."

"There so many Indias within India. The North and South have different palates, in food and movies. How am I going to please all? I think I should please myself first and believe in what I am doing. If the work is honest you can sleep well at night," he adds. The actor was speaking at the launch of new men's grooming range of Cinthol. Harshvardhan says both "Mirzya" and "Bhavesh Joshi" were daring projects as they tried something new and failed.

"When you do something new and it works, it becomes a case study, a cult. When it doesn't, people say 'oh it was too soon.' Hindsight is a wonderful thing but you don't know until you try. At least I know I am one of those who puts money where my mouth is and do new things. "With 'Mirzya', we tried something new with a Bollywood musical and with 'Bhavesh Joshi', it was new for the superhero genre and we succeeded to a large extent. It's a pretty good film, it has its flaws, but which film doesn't."

He will be next seen in the biopic of Olympic winner Abhinav Bindra and Harshvardhan says he wants to chronicle his story in the big screen honestly. "My challenge with the film is to tell the story as honestly as possible in this world we live in. It's a business so you have to pay attention to a lot of things. Within that world if you get people on your side and make them believe in the film as much as you do, make it the way you want, that'll be the biggest victory."

In the film, he will be teaming up with his father Anil Kapoor, who will also play his father on screen. "I don't know how exactly it'll pan out with him. I will start thinking about it once I have the script ready and go scene by scene to figure out. My father always tells me to keep doing what I believe in. "Eventually if you're doing good work something will connect and then people will turn around and say you were doing the right thing all along."

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