It’s safe to say that Harshvardhan Rane’s career hasn’t followed a conventional trajectory. After making his mark in Telugu cinema, the actor moved to Bollywood with Sanam Teri Kasam (2016). The film failed to make an impact at the time but found a second life with its 2025 re-release, becoming a theatrical success and putting Harshvardhan back in the spotlight.

The actor, who went on to do films like Haseen Dillruba, Dange, Savi and, more recently, Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat, tells us that he never had a roadmap and had to constantly navigate his way through uncertainty.

Asked if he ever felt like giving up during those difficult phases, Harshvardhan says his circumstances made him stronger. “Having perseverance is something I think I was born with, while circumstances forced me to become bold and strong. My philosophy is that nothing is given to you; you have to find your own path. When you enter a jungle, you can’t expect a map, so it is pointless to complain about not having one. A jungle, by definition, is where you don’t know what will happen. So when I talk about circumstances, I mean finding your own way through every ordeal.”

He insists that quitting was never really an option. “Giving up is a luxury which I never could afford. It is a quirk of the privileged,” he smiles and adds, “So, let’s say, fortunately I am not privileged.”

Harshvardhan’s next project, Ram Gopal Varma’s Police Company, has him step into the role of a character inspired by Mumbai encounter specialist Daya Nayak — a casting choice, he admits, that even people who have known him for years would never have imagined. For him, the role is an opportunity to challenge the stereotype.

He says, “I feel actors get easily stereotyped. I believe actors are capable of doing romance, comedy and other things. I’m playing the role of Daya Nayak — nobody could have thought that I’d be playing this part in a Ram Gopal Varma film.”

What seems to excite Harshvardhan equally is the filmmaker he is working with. Having watched RGV’s distinctive cinematic language over the years, he says witnessing his process from close quarters has been an eye-opener.

“RGV has blown my mind with his artistic nature on set. There is a strange quality of following something extremely cinematic and breaking the mould. So there is this full tug of war, this push and pull between going cinematic and breaking the grammar. I love that process.”