Remember the young boy in the Kuchi Kuchi Rakkamma... song from the film Bombay who played the son of Manisha Koirala and Arvind Swamy? Well, 16 years after its release, Hridayraaj, who is now 23, makes his debut as hero in his second film Konjam Koffee Konjam Kadhal, a flick that has been directed by first-time director Venky. At the launch of the film, when Nassar spoke about Hridayraaj, he said, “A lot of people ask me as to when I am going to launch my son in films. To all of them who have such queries, I can now say that my ‘grandson’ has already been launched in films (Hridayraaj had played Nasser’s grandson in Bombay).”
Hridayraaj, who has got the opportunity to act with Nassar yet again, says that he is grateful to director Maniratnam for all that he is today.
“Bombay, the film, changed my life a lot. Even today, many times, when walking on the streets, several people stop me to ask, ‘Hey! Are you not that kid who was seen in Bombay, shaking a leg with Manisha Koirala?’ And I feel good about it. That film may have been shot a long time ago. But I have been in touch with Mani sir constantly. I visit him once every six months to seek his blessings.He says he is now happy to see me as an actor in the Tamil film industry,” he says.
Hridayraaj has got his priorities in order. “After Bombay, I even did a commercial for Hamam. But that was all. I was intent on completing my studies first. In fact, I also enrolled myself for an acting course in the Barry John Acting Studio, Mumbai. Venky, who called me for the auditions in Chennai by the end of March, found me apt for the role in this film. By April end, we had commenced our workshop for the film. The script is romantic and based on a beautiful love story which one can watch with every member of the family. It is a love story that brews in the backdrop of a coffee shop,” he says, adding that the film’s story revolves around the two characters — protagonist Siddhartha and his sweetheart Priyanka.
Ask him if he has had any love over coffee experiences in real life and Hridayraaj says with a smile, “No, none. But I have seen several youngsters gather at coffee shops. The talkie portions of the film are over and only three songs need to be shot.”
So, what next? “There are quite a few offers that have been made. There is a bilingual flick (a Tamil and Telugu film) that I have in hand now . It is by a debutant director. However, I will need time to take a call on it,” he says.