Harshvardhan Rane, who is shooting in Ahmedabad for Force 3, joined us for a candid chat in his “urban” campervan.

The Sanam Teri Kasam actor says, “It’s my lucky 10-seater van in which I travel across India. While I have one van specifically designed for the jungle, this one is tailored for urban life and my daily shoots. I’ve always preferred a life of efficiency over typical luxury. So, I’ve transformed my van into a mobile workspace. It’s fully insulated and quiet, allowing me to conduct narrations and meetings with directors in total comfort while on the move, without sacrificing basic comforts like a washroom or a place to rest.”

Harshvardhan, usually seen playing intense, serious characters, says, “The audience always knows what they want to consume; I am simply serving it. I am not purposely choosing it, but I’ve noticed that people gravitate most towards my deep romances and intense love stories. So, I am happy to serve that.”

He adds, “This is a commercial space, and my main goal is to get the audience into theatres. If I ever feel the need to express something deeply personal, there’s Instagram for that. Here, I don’t want to impose my own wishes; I want to deliver what works. People often ask me about my dream role, and I always tell them that my dream role is to be a profitable actor, someone who brings success to a project.”

Talking about onscreen image vs real personality, Harshvardhan, who is pursuing Psychology (Honours, currently in second year), says, “Concepts like the framing effect explain why audiences naturally associate an actor’s performance with their true character. Viewers once believed on-screen villains were genuinely bad people, and actors portraying mythological characters are treated like deities. I’ve accepted that storytelling creates its own reality. I believe there is an intrinsic connection between an actor’s inherent qualities and the roles they attract. Ultimately, certain traits are already within you, which is why those specific characters come to you and stay with you.”

Harshvardhan started his career with Telugu and Tamil films. Is he open to doing south films now? He says, “Focusing on one thing at a time helps me stay sharp and do my best work. While multitasking works for some, I feel giving a single project my full attention is the only way to do justice. Even when a brilliant script comes along, it is difficult to say yes because a film isn’t just about the 30 days of shooting — it requires your presence long before and after the cameras roll. It’s amazing that people like Dhanush, Dulquer Salmaan, and Rana Daggubati manage so much at once. That level of commitment is incredibly tough.”

And what about OTT projects? He says, “Right now, I am getting good work and don’t want to disrupt the flow of what I am receiving just to satisfy a personal whim. When you are getting good opportunities, it is important to respect that and not just jump to something else for the sake of it. I am not here to chase every platform or medium just because I can.”

Asked about how to bring more audiences to theatres, Harshvardhan laughs, “If anyone knew the secret to guaranteed success in this industry, they would be as wealthy as the world’s top businessmen. This business is very unpredictable. The most important thing we can do is to stay honest with our viewers. If you work based on genuine emotion, you have a much better chance of connecting with people. If you overthink everything and try to manufacture a hit, the audience will see right through it because they are very smart. They don’t want to buy a 'fake' product; they want something real. That’s how even social media works today. A video filmed on a basic phone from a remote place, without any fancy lights or cameras, can still go viral because it has a sense of reality. If your work is honest, people will gravitate towards it.”

Talking about Sanam Teri Kasam (2016), which didn’t do well at the box office initially, becoming a success after its re-release last year, he says, “There was a phase of re-releases where several films were back in theatres; but only some of them did well. So, people have not found out what is working. Honestly, I came to understand a great deal—because for eight years, I saw it reflected in people’s eyes wherever I travelled. My producer wasn’t sure about re-releasing the film. I told him, ‘Aap kuch mat karo, bas movie release karva do. I will just announce it on Instagram.’ We got just 25 theatres across the nation. But the next day, it was released in 1500 theatres, and within 24 hours, the ticket sales skyrocketed. I simply connected honesty with reality.”

He adds, “People rightly say that social media following has no connection with ticket sales. But in my case, that changed. Some people called it history, but some even called it a fluke until Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat entered the Rs. 100 crore club. Honesty, a realistic approach and good content have worked for me.”

Harshvardhan, who has a good fan following in Ahmedabad, says, “This is the second time I’m experiencing this (fan love) in Ahmedabad. We came here on an unplanned visit after Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat was released to thank people for their love. The response we got here pushed us to do a whole tour. It may be because of the sweetness of the food, but the warmth is unbelievable. It keeps us motivated.”