Despite his debut film Mirzya not striking gold at the box office, Harshvardhan Kapoor is unperturbed. The actor has moved on and is single-mindedly focused on his next. BT caught up with him at a recent event. Excerpts from the interview:

Has the failure of Mirzya sunk in?
Yes. To be honest, I wasn't expecting Mirzya to set the box office on fire. Obviously, it would have been nicer had it opened with slightly better numbers. It wasn't a commercial film and it's safe to say that now. Actually, you don't know what is mainstream and what is not until it's really put out there. I'm also in a way discovering the sensibilities of the audience as I go along.

People found many flaws in it...
I'm not saying Mirzya was the most perfect film. In fact, I'm the first one to admit that it was a flawed film. But most films are flawed. It was visually enchanting and musically stunning, though. And as newcomers, we didn't do anything glamourous or starry in it. I had dirt all over and sported a full-grown beard. Rajasthani stable boys and warriors are like that. So, the learning is that you go from story to story. I understand people universally couldn't connect much with the film. Some people liked it and they did let me know. My next with Vikramaditya Motwane is a lot more accessible in that sense.

You once assisted Anurag Kashyap and now he's producing the film that Vikramaditya Motwane's directing with you. How does the role reversal feel?
It feels amazing to switch sides. I have shot half of the film, Bhavesh Joshi. And this is the most special time of our lives. Lootera, which Vikram directed, wasn't mainstream; my last release was also not a mainstream movie. So, we're both heading in the same direction. I assisted Anurag and now he's writing dialogue for this movie. In any case, this boy gang barely does something mainstream. So, with this action-vigilante drama, they'll break several expectations. It's Vikram's most commercial film to date.

Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra to Vikramaditya Motwane is quite a journey...
Vikram is a brutally honest filmmaker. And with him, I'm actually learning a lot about myself.

Do your former bosses bully you on the set?
We'll find out who bullies whom when I start promoting the film. I have some days of shooting left, which we should wrap by early next year.