AFTER A LENGTHY perusal of Harman Baweja in person, two things become fairly obvious: one, that his persona of a ‘glorified Hrithik Roshan copycat’ is nothing more than a highly exaggerated version of the slight resemblance between the two actors in looks, stature, and dancing styles, and two, that the newcomer has incredible potential.
Unfortunately for Baweja, his debut juggernaut, the notorious Love Story 2050, was seen in cinemas at the same time as Imran Khan’s Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na. And while the young Khan received accolades of praise for his simple chocolate-boy looks and performance, Baweja fell dismally short and was written off by most critics as the ‘poor man’s Hrithik’.
Other actors in Bollywood have been subjected to similar flak. For instance, Shahid Kapoor was the proclaimed younger version of Shah Rukh Khan, and even Abhishek Bachchan was constantly accused of ‘trying’ to emulate his father, Amitabh Bachchan (but shouldn’t one be allowed to look and talk like his or her parent?).
But with the release of Victory, Baweja’s hard work finally pays off as most critics concede that he ‘successfully sheds the Hrithik tag’ through his acting endeavors. But the actor himself is rather nonchalant to the presence or absence of the constant comparisons.
Before landing in Dubai, he spent the night in Colombo, Sri Lanka, watching his latest release with Indian cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan, and Suresh Rain. And despite the lack of sleep, a hectic day ahead, and an imminent flight to Chicago in the night for a ten-day shoot, Baweja appeared in good spirits and indulged in an entertaining conversation with the City Times team.
What sort of a fitness regime did you follow in preparation for your role in Victory?
There were about forty-five international cricketers in the film. It was absolutely essential for me to get my form right. So, I got in touch with Praveen Amre; he trains the Mumbai team, which won the Ranji trophy. I grew up with building and galli (street) cricket, where you can’t score runs on the offside, but can only score straight. So, Praveen sir had to alter my grip on the bat. A month and a half later, he threw me in the nets and I started facing club-level bowlers. For roughly four months, I trained for about four hours and faced about sixty overs each day. This got me ready for my first series opposite Australia (in the film).
Is it true that you also lived in a village in preparation for the movie?
I play a small-town boy in the film. But I’ve grown up in Mumbai. So, I went to Jaisalmer and then a village from there. It was the sort of place that often lost electricity, the water really had to be drawn out by hand pumps and a person’s prosperity was generally measured by the number of cows, bulls, or horses he had.
Tell us a bit about your future projects.
After Victory, there’s a film called It’s My Life, directed by Anees Bazmee (aka ‘the hit-machine’, as I like to refer to him) and it has Genelia D’Souza and Nana Patekar in it. Then there’s What’s Your Rashee by Ashutosh Gowariker and it has Priyanka (Chopra) and myself in it. Then there’s Chenab Gandhi by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and it’s got Mr. Bachchan and Vidya Balan in it.
So, what’s it like acting with the veterans?
It’s stressful. Nana Patekar is very unpredictable. He could walk in one day and give you a hug and the next day you could give your best shot in the film and he won’t even bother to acknowledge you.
How much of a disappointment was Love Story 2050 to you?
It came across as a disappointment because the expectations were so high. The same thing will probably happen to me when I see Slumdog Millionaire. It’s bagged the Golden Globe, it’s been nominated for an Oscar, and people say that it’s the best film they’ve ever seen. It probably won’t be able to live up to the expectations it has built. The Adlabs team went over some figures with me, and it surprised me that the theatrical business of a film like Love Story 2050 was actually more than a successful film like Rock On. The film was risky; it had a newcomer in it, but it lost only three crores, which is negligible when you invest thirty-four crores. But at the end of the day, the film did not do well, and one has to live with it. A lot of critics said nasty things about me, and it just made me work harder.
So, how is Victory doing at the box office?
The film is carrying mixed reviews as we speak; it hasn’t got a unanimous decision. The collections have also been rather mixed in all honesty (no point in me saying it’s doing fabulously if it’s not). It’s playing in theatres and we all know the facts. But the critics who wrote me off earlier are now quite pleased with my performance.
Do you think Bollywood scripts suffer from a lack of quality?
Yes. Something like Taare Zameen Par is cinema. It opened to weak houses but it gradually picked up because it is a good film. The same thing happened with Chak De.
Are the rumours of you dating Amrita Rao true?
Amu is here with her mom. If I was dating her, I would have made sure that her mom would not be in town with us (laughs).
Is there someone you’re seeing outside the film industry then?
No father wants his daughter to be dating an actor because their reputation is the pits. The image of an actor is that he’s either a Casanova or unfaithful.
But, shouldn’t it be easier for you to get girls?
I will not deny that. Unfortunately, to get girls and to be seeing someone are two very different things.
So, what is your idea of romance?
Not buying a solitaire, for sure. Firstly, it’s too expensive and secondly, it’s the easy way out. Anything materialistic dies out very quickly. I’d rather do something personal. With poetry, for example, every time you read it you’ll remember the sweet moments.
So, do you write poems?
Yeah, I just let the cat out of the bag there, didn’t I?
Is it difficult for you and Priyanka Chopra to work together now?
It’s really not. Every once in a while, we’ll sit together and read all that’s written about us and just laugh at it.
What’s it like being involved with someone that you’re working with?
It is difficult to be with because you are so used to each other in a personal space and, suddenly, you’re in professional mode. I can be quite the split personality at work and outside.
Do you feel that the name change from Harman to Hurman made any difference?
The name change is strictly my director’s decision. We’ve had the longest of discussions (read: quarrels) about it. It (superstition) just makes you question your hard work. Singh is Kinng was released on 08/08/08. If you look at it from the superstitious point of view, that’s asking for a disaster. But it was a blockbuster. Though, they added a double ‘n’ to the king part. It really was the height of contradiction.
Short Takes
What is the craziest thing that you have heard about yourself?
That I’m gay!
What is your favourite dialogue?
I love the way Amitji said, “Vijay Dinanath Chauhan”. Actually, I was called ‘Vijay’ in Victory. So, every time I would walk onto the sets I would say, “Vijay Dinanath Chauhan is on the sets, start the shooting” (all said in a similar tone to that of Amitabh Bachchan’s in Agneepath)
What’s your wildest materialistic indulgence?
Red shoes, that cost me twenty-eight grand. I’ve never worn them and honestly, I’m too embarrassed to wear them. Ramdev, my helper boy, says that he wouldn’t even pay Rs28 for them.
What do you have planned for Valentine’s Day?
I’ve a date with Ashutosh Gowariker. Actually, I’m going to be flying on February 14.
What do you think of Imran Khan?
If I were a girl I would definitely find him cute.
What’s the worst movie you’ve ever seen?
10,000 B.C.
So, if you directed a movie who would be your heroine?
If I’m the actor, then I’d pick Halle Berry (to spend time with).
And who would you pick from Bollywood?
She’s married now (looks visibly upset).
Which is the one role you would like to play?
I would have loved to do Scarface.
When will we see you in a darker role?
You’ll get a strong hint of it in Chenab Gandhi.
A knockout performance
The professional cricketers gave Harman Baweja quite the scare during the filming of Victory. In the amateur player’s words, “they were fast, furious and upset if and when you whacked them.” In fact, Australian pacer Brett Lee and Baweja cause quite a stir with their sledging incident.
Baweja asked Lee to bowl to him, what cricket enthusiasts refer to as, a ‘real Brett’. “So, he went back ten paces, and started stretching,” describes the amused actor. “And while he was advancing I could hear shouts of, “get his toes”, “jab his chest” or “knock him out”, from the rest of the guys. Since we were shooting in Jaipur, the Indians on the set started cheering for me. He bowled me a short-pitch ball and all I really had to do was duck. But I managed to get the pull-shot right and whacked it for a boundary.”
Following this, an aggravated Lee bowled another one of his dreaded fast-paced deliveries to Baweja, which was whacked for another boundary. At this stage, the director of Victory (who had money riding on the health of his lead actor) requested Baweja to purposely miss the next ball to placate the infuriated fast bowler, otherwise the actor was sure to be in for a severe injury.
A similar incident took place with Chaminda Vas, Sri Lankan medium pacer, who managed to bowl a full-toss that struck Baweja on the thigh and kept him off his feet for fifteen minutes. Needless to say, by the end of the movie, the man was covered in unattractive bruises.
But the nastiest sledge came from Pakistani bowler, Iftikhar Rao. However, Baweja claims that he bonded with quite a few Pakistani players on the sets (Shoaib Malik, Sohail Tanvir, and Kamran Akmal). “We even had an Indo-Pak pool series. Every time they would injure me, all of them came running with ice packs,” reminisces Baweja.
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