After playing one of the leads in the forthcoming musical ‘Aalaap’, the 24-yr-old Harsh Rajput has evolved as a better actor. In a candid chat with Sandeep Hattangadi, Harsh reveals about his experiences on the sets of ‘Aalaap’ and his future ventures.
Tell us about your character in the movie.
I am playing one of the lead characters called Brijesh, an upper middle class boy from Chhattisgarh. He is an aimless boy having for company two other boys who are also spoilt and alcoholic like him. They come across a good guy Rahul, played by Amit Purohit and their lives get transformed.
How was the experience while shooting?
It was indeed a wonderful experience. I visited Chhattisgarh for the first time. Away from Mumbai, the hustle and bustle of daily life, I enjoyed the greenery and beauty of nature while shooting there. We were there for 55 days, shot some sequences at Kanha Tiger Reserve. This area is very near to the Naxal-villages. Later, we came know from the local villagers that few Naxalites had come to see us in disguise. I was a little afraid in the beginning. But the producers made such wonderful arrangements that we hardly could feel the danger while shooting.
What will you say about Manish Manikpuri?
Manish is a very good director, you can hardly make out that ‘Aalaap’ is his first movie. He is never confused; he just knows what he wants. He is very aware about things around him.
How was your compatibility with co-stars?
It was great. We were like friends working together. And there are veterans as well like Abhimanyu Singh, Murali Sharma, Vijay Raaz and Rituparna Sengupta. You see, when you are working with such senior artists, you evolve as a better actor as you are already going through a learning period. A little creative input from them beatifies the scene. It has been a big learning process for me.
What about the music? Which is your favourite?
The music given by Agnee is great. My personal favourite is ‘Pa Pa Ra Pa’. Apart from that ‘Chadti Jawani’ enchants you with its Chhattisgarhi flavour. The combination of traditional and modern music is a deadly one.
Is it your first movie?
No, this is my second movie. I started with Mehul Kumar’s ‘Krantiveer - The Revolution’, a sequel to Nana Patekar’s ‘Krantiveer’.