If life doesn’t move in a straight line, why should cinema? This is what actor Harsh Varrdhan Kapoor says of cinema. Son of Anil Kapoor, Harsh made his acting debut with the Rakyesh Omprakash Mehra-directed romance drama Mirzya, and followed it up with Vikramaditya Motwane’s action thriller Bhavesh Joshi Superhero.

The actor, 30, who started his journey in the entertainment industry as an assistant director on Anurag Kashyap’s 2015 film Bombay Velvet, believes it is important to have variations in films. “I like digression. I believe, in a film, everything doesn’t need to go like a bullet, in a straight line. Everything doesn’t need to have a reason, sometimes things are just there. I come from that school of thought. There is unpredictability and randomness to life, and films should reflect that. They don’t need to be so structured,” the actor said.

Harsh will be seen in Ray, a Netflix anthology series based on the short stories written by legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray. The four-part series, each a contemporary interpretation of Ray’s writings, sees Harsh starring alongside Radhika Madan in the Vasan Bala-directed Spotlight.

The story revolves around a popular but creatively unsatisfied actor dealing with his insecurities as a cult leader’s presence threatens his stardom. Harsh said he gave his nod to the project without even reading the script as he knew that Bala’s quirky approach aligned with his thought process. Bala, best known for his film Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota, “creates structure, but within that, it kind of feels like things are just happening and flowing,” the actor said.

One can be talented, but that may not come through if the process of filmmaking is too “self-serious”, believes Harsh, who thoroughly enjoyed Bala’s working style. “The thing with Vasan is that he creates such a lovely environment. As an actor, you are not afraid to fail, because you know he is going to care for you. Sometimes, when the process of filmmaking gets too self-serious, you are afraid, and operate from a place of fear. You are withdrawn.”

For his role of actor Vikram Arora, Harsh said he channelled the anxiety he was going through during the first wave of the pandemic in India, into the part. The actor said he could identify with the anxiousness and honesty of his character. “I was going through an anxious time during the first wave, not knowing what the future is. When I read the material, I felt the character was also someone who was anxious and honest.”