Am here to do new films, not repackage old ones: Actor Harshvardhan Kapoor

Actor Harshvardhan Kapoor has his goals set when it comes to choosing films — a script that reads new to him. He says that he is not here to revamp movies that others have been doing for long.

"I feel like doing films basis whatever inspires me on the page. I am not here to do movies that others have been doing for a long time and repackage, revamp the same and present it to the audience.

"I am here to do new films, and if I read something on the page that I have never read before... that gets me going to 'want' to do it. I want to do new things," Harshvardhan told IANS, a news agency, in an e-mail interview.

The actor unveiled the Fall Winter 2018 collection of the brand Reebok in Mumbai last week. He and actress Esha Gupta were the muses of stylist Tanya Ghavri who conducted a Fashionably Fit Masterclass where she picked the top looks and styles from the collection giving attendees "must haves" for their wardrobe this season.

The 27-year-old actor, who made his film debut with Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's 2016 film Mirzya, was last seen in Bhavesh Joshi Superhero (2018) on the big screen.

Asked how much box office success matter to him, he said, "I have always worn my heart on my sleeve and jumped head-first into ideas that excite me. When I'm choosing films to work on, the first question I ask myself is, does this story stir my passion? And the next question is, can I do justice to the character and his contribution to the story? If the answer to these questions is a yes! I'm all in.

"If the genre of the film or the story itself makes it a blockbuster, that's a bonus that I don't always account for. In such cases, I would count my blessings and continue to choose films that I truly believed in, hoping that my work speaks for itself."

He also said that a low budget well scripted film will be his first choice.

"I think it is always about the sincerity and honesty with which you do something. You should never attempt to do something average, it can be bad or good, but at least you know you tried to do something different," said the son of actor Anil Kapoor.

So how often does he take his father's advice while selecting roles?

"I always take his advice and talk to him about film choices on a daily basis. However, when you say yes to a film, you have to be on set and believe in it yourself. The belief is very important and eventually my choices are always mine," he said.

Nowadays, the industry is seeing a great experimentation in the roles taken on by female actors. Does he see something similar happening with the male actors?

"I would like to see the big, mainstream actors experiment with their roles. I feel I have done that being a newcomer and of course, have seen Alia [Bhatt] and Sonam [Kapoor] doing it all the time in their choice of roles. Once you are a movie star, there is a certain pressure because of a loyal fan base and they want to see you in a certain way. Luckily, I am a newcomer and don't have those kind of expectations right now and can experiment with my roles.

"However, if the big stars do this, it exposes new films to the audience and we need to take new genres to a wider audience so, I would like to see it more," he said.

How "fashionably fit" is he in day-to-day life?

"Have you met my dad? If that man doesn't give you serious fitness goals, no one ever will. Living with him has been a constant source of inspiration for me. I've come to understand, appreciate and respect the importance of a healthy lifestyle.

"If we expect our bodies to perform miracles, we need to nourish them with the right fuel and maintenance. Not only is this crucial to our performance, but it's key to our peace of mind and general sense of well-being," said Harshvardhan.