A chip off the ol' (Anil) Kapoor block? Nah! He'd rather be the whole block. Brother of a fashionista (Sonam)? Nah! He'd rather set his own trends. A star kid ready to march off the assembly line? No way; he marches to the beat of a different drummer. Which actor has the luxury of taking up three years of his precious life to make his movie? Harshvardhan Kapoor has done that.

Eyes focussed on the stars. Feet stretched ahead in a languid pose, sometimes animated, at times composed. He belongs to the best of Bollywood breed, though his taste in cinema seeps deep into world classics. He's wise, wary and winsome. At the brink of stardom, you can feel his restless energy, but he exudes confidence. Cocksure and fancy-free. Mirzya has arrived, but Harsh greets it in his own style. See for yourself...

You have grown up as a superstar's son. Now, as an actor, you will be in the spotlight. Are you feeling a huge change?
It's not a big change for me; it's some thing that I had always expected and anticipated. I am also quite comfortable with it, as I like interacting with people. And frankly, if you have seen, I have hardly been out there, so it's kind of interesting to tell readers and viewers what I am really like.

You gave this film three years of your life. At any given point, did you feel restless?
Not really, because I am very familiar with Mehra's (Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra) style of working. That's pretty much how he makes a movie. I think creatively, we are both very laidback. And that's why now I feel I've been basically ruined (laughs). I would take 10-minute breaks between shots to listen to music. I like to enjoy some me-time, so it was great working with Mehra. Maybe this style of working doesn't agree with all actors and directors, and I can imagine that some might even get frustrated.

For a debut film, Mirzya is intense and deep. Did you ever plan that you would launch with a film that was not archetypal Bollywood?
I don't think there was ever any strategy. I just think it is the kind of person that I am. I was always aware of the kind of films that I was gravitating towards. Mirzya was a perfect fit. Mehra and I were talking about it for about four-five years, since I was about 19 years old. When we spoke about it in 2011, I told him that it was a big responsibility and I felt that I was too young and wasn't ready for it. I wanted to go back to college and complete my education. In 2013, we finally decided to do it. I think when you are ready to take on something as big as this, a voice from within speaks up.

You have said that your character in Mirzya is close to your personality.Are you poetic and a romantic in real life?
In some ways, I think I can be that guy in the film. When I heard the role, I knew that it required something that's a little different. Mirza is somebody who is a little sombre, pensive and broody; I can be like that at times. He is also a crazy guy who acts on instinct and is obsessed with the girl. He doesn't talk much but speaks mostly through his eyes; I have some of these traits in me. Mirza is also very flamboyant; I think I can be that at times. About the music and poetry, yes, I can see myself singing those lines. I am a city boy who has grown up in Juhu (Mumbai), but in terms of artistic inclination, I lap up this kind of music.

Have your dad's films had a huge influence on you? Do both of you like similar movies?
No, our tastes in movies are slightly different. I am a very patient viewer. I don't need too many things to hap pen in a film to sustain my attention. I don't need people to be constantly talking in a film; I like it when storytellers narrate their stories visually and musically. I think Mirzya is a combination of David Lean and Baz Luhrmann films. I loved watching Lean's Lawrence of Arabia - the way the shots are designed - it needs a big landscape and it's a big-screen film. I say it's like Luhrmann's film because it's a proper Romeo-Juliet musical. So, these are the kind of films that appeal to me. I think dad likes films which are more conversational. He wouldn't like Badlands, made by my favourite director Terrence Malick; it's a film that changed everything for me. Films like Days of Heaven and The Tree of Life are also great, and all of them are dialogue-thin. I think closer home, movies like Dil Chahta Hai, Lagaan and Rang De Basanti have left an impression on me. Honestly, when you think about your greatest memories, you don't think about words, you think about moments and I think that's the best way you can tell a story. And that's the way Mirzya has been told. It's like a picture book.

Won't life change for you after Mirzya, too?
It completely depends on how wide an audience the film appeals to. If Mirzya appeals to a wider audience, then my life will change dramatically. For example, Sonam's life changed after Neerja, which reached out to a huge audience. It may not have changed much after I Hate Luv Storys, even though that was a commercially successful film. There are certain films that change your life. I think Mirzya has the potential to be one of those. But since marketing a film is now a whole different world, I don't know what's going to happen in the coming weeks.

Do you get nervous before the release of Sonam's films?
Yes I do. If Delhi 6 had released before Saawariya, I wouldn't have felt this way, but that made me paranoid, yaar. I don't understand what went wrong with Delhi 6. I mean, I agree it wasn't a Rang De Basanti¸ but it was still better than 85 per cent of the films that released in 2009. Sometimes, it's just the trade. Ideally, the trade shouldn't affect a film's verdict entirely but unfortunately, in our country it does. People look at trade figures and decide if the film is good or bad.

How was it growing up as Anil Kapoor's son? What were your memories of watching your dad in action, on the sets?
I didn't go much on the sets. Honestly, going on other people's sets is boring. It sounds very glamorous, but after 10 minutes, you get bored as you are not creatively involved in anything. As a family, we would accompany him on outdoor shoots. It was like a part of our summer holidays. We would drop in on his sets for five minutes and then, he would catch up with us at the end of the day.

You seem to be very inspired by Aamir Khan and Ranbir Kapoor...
Well, that quote about me being inspired by them was not exactly in that context. I was asked who my inspiration was, to which I said that I like Aamir (Khan) for his choices, dedication and his ability to do one thing perfectly at a time. I also like Ranbir (Kapoor) for his spontaneity. It's not like I am trying to map my career around Aamir and Ranbir. There are others, too, who I admire. I really liked Abhay Deol in Dev D¸ Imran Khan in Delhi Belly and Ranveer Singh in Lootera.

The fact that Anil Kapoor's son is being launched has been under played, and the focus in totally on the movie. Yet, the pressure must be building up?
I am not worried about meeting creative expectations, it's the commercial expectations that you can't really predict. I think I will be working with some very interesting directors and to achieve what I want, I have to be original. So, I have to keep working at it and better myself. Don't you think it will be better if people watch me on screen and forget who I am? Well, I know that is difficult.

The big moment that you have been waiting for is finally here. What are you feeling at this point?
I just want the film to reach out to as many people as it can. And I really hope that people don't make it out to be an art film. And trust me, it's not. It's Mirza Sahiban, man! It's romance, music and action. It's just that we are presenting an Indian story in a different way. I'm not too self-critical, if I do something good, I pat myself on the back. It keeps you going and it increases your belief in yourself. Otherwise, you will get to a point where you become cynical. I am optimistic about the movie and creatively, I am sorted. I am just cynical about the business side of it. I know the lineage helps, but this film is not made to launch a star's son. Mehra wouldn't make a film just for that. It's a film made with a lot of passion, I hope all that people talk about is not whether the opening is bigger than some other hero's film.