At just 32, actor Harshvardhan Rane, who made his Bollywood debut this year with Sanam Teri Kasam, will get a book to his name. Says the actor, “My life has been pretty unconventional. The publishers saw a story in it and yes, my life has been put in a book. It’s written by Mayur Shah and will release in August.”
At the age of 16, Harshvardhan ran away from his home in Gwalior with just Rs 100 in his pocket. Recalls Harshvardhan, “I wanted to escape the drudgery of a small town existence. Any place bigger than Gwalior was fine. I took the first train to Delhi because that was the only fare I could afford.”
Even in Delhi, where he worked at a phone booth and then in a cybercafé (for Rs 20), Mumbai was always on his mind. “From the time I was a child I wanted to be an actor. In Mumbai I got a job distributing DVDs.”
Soon he landed his first acting assignment on a television serial called Left Right Left. Recalls the actor, “I thought it was a great opportunity since Shah Rukh Khan too had started with television. In fact, I learnt acting in Delhi from Barry John who also taught SRK.”
The next stop for this adventurous actor was Hyderabad, where his first film Thakita Thakita happened without much effort. “I’ve seen the best and worst of times. My parents were divorced when I was a child. I was brought up by my father. But I don’t think my life-story is in any way remarkable. What is remarkable is how acting opportunities have come my way.”
