Actor Harsh Mayar still remembers Hyderabad as a place tied closely to one of his earliest milestones, long before fame and expectations became part of his daily life. His first visit to the city came when he was barely in his early teens, during a Hyderabad film festival where his film I Am Kalam was screened. The memory has stayed with him, not because of the scale alone, but because it marked a moment of recognition that felt quietly special.
Talking about the city, Harsh recalls smiling: “I recently went there with my wife for some office work, and while travelling with her, I met a few fans, which felt really nice. I found the city well developed, heard about the nightlife, enjoyed the experience a lot, and also visited a few malls.”
Winning the National Film Award for the Best Child Artist for I Am Kalam early in his career could have easily set expectations, but Harsh says he does not approach projects with that kind of pressure. “I do not think anybody looks at a project thinking they have to choose it to win an award or something like that, because these things are very temperamental and not fixed. You never know when an award will come. When I see a project, I look at the script, the character, the role and the story because that matters the most. I also consider who is making it, who the producer is, where it will be released, and how many people it will reach. Awards are a byproduct because if the performance and work are good, something will come. There is no pressure, working only for awards never works,” he explains.
When it comes to saying yes or no to any role, he is clear and unapologetic. “For me, it totally depends on the story, how it is written, and my role in it. If the role is impactful, I do it, and if it is not, then I do not. It has to be a main role or at least a very important part that changes something in the story and causes a significant shift in the film or show. That is how I decide yes or no, even if it offends people, because if you cannot say no, you will be given anything,” he says.
Four seasons into Gullak, Harsh says ‘Aman Mishra’ still feels fresh. “I feel the role of Aman Mishra has always been shown in a way that it can go in any direction, and that feels nice because at that age everyone is exploring different things. Even now, the season I just shot surprised me, as it is written very differently from other seasons, and it is fun to explore the character every time,” he expresses.
Talking about how certain roles stay with him even after the cameras stop rolling, he reflects on the emotion that is the hardest to leave behind after pack-up. “I feel the emotional aspect while acting is the hardest to switch off because those moments tend to stay with you. You have to be in a certain frame of mind to perform them, so after pack-up, that feeling lingers, and it takes time to return to a normal state. I am not a method actor, and I do switch off, but emotional scenes impact you a little,” he admits.
Looking back at I Am Kalam, he says what he tries to carry forward is not nostalgia but innocence. “I try to keep that innocence alive if you ask me, even though it reduces with age because you meet many people and get corrupted along the way, but I feel innocence is something I want to resonate with, so I consciously try to keep it alive,” he says.
Looking ahead, Harsh has a busy year lined up. “My film One Two Cha Cha Chaa is releasing on January 16, and after that, there is a theatrical release,” Harsh notes.