Upala KBR (MID-DAY; July 9, 2018)

Abhishek Bachchan's loss is Harshvardhan Rane's win, but, it appears the latter has been showered with more than expected after the former walked out of J P Dutta's Paltan. Filming for the director's war drama, Rane's act has been so impressive that Dutta has offered him a three-film deal under his banner. This is a first-of-its-kind offer emerging from his production house.

Confirming the news to mid-day, Rane recalls how the offer landed in his lap. "We were shooting in Deolali, where I was riding the new bike I had bought from my first cheque for the film. Earlier, sir [Dutta] had expressed his reservations to Nidhi [Dutta's daughter, executive producer] about my biking, but I insisted on doing it. When the shoot got over, Nidhi told me he wanted to meet me. I thought he would fire me for riding the bike. But, he said, 'J P Films wants to sign you for three films'," narrates the actor.

Emotional, Rane recalls how he ran away from his home in 2001 to make a career in Bollywood, and landed this deal 17 years later. "I touched his feet and said, 'Sir, please give me the papers right now.' I had no doubt in my mind [that I wanted to do this]. It's J P sir, after all. I have worked in an STD booth, a cyber café, as a distribution boy, and all of that has culminated into this deal, where I will be part of JP sir's paltan."

After Bachchan had decided to step away from Paltan, Rane had taken his place after a short audition. He was asked to board the flight to Ladakh on the same night. Nidhi says her father sees something "distinct" in Rane, that he has not seen in his former actors. "This is the first time that dad has signed an actor for a three-film deal. He has worked with actors repeatedly in the past, but something in Harsh sets him apart. [His former collaborator] Vinod Khanna was his best friend, so there was an emotional connect [while working with him]. He also shared a relationship with the Deol family, while Suniel [Shetty] uncle was family. But, for the first time, dad has reacted [to Rane's deal] purely as a filmmaker. He said, 'The boy has spunk and he is talented'."