Harish Uthaman, known for his roles in Thani Oruvan (2015) and Srimanthudu (2015), has travelled a quiet and determined path through Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam films over the past six years.
The talented actor whose ease and flair make his performances appear effortless, promises to enthrall audiences with every film he chooses. Awaiting the release of Rekka this week, he has his hands full with Bairavaa, Maaveeran Kittu, Saatai 2, and Dora in his kitty. Harish never goes by the length of the role or be wary of sharing the screen with other actors. His career stands testimony to that. Pandiya Naadu, Meagamann, and Gouravam are just part of a long list. “I always look at the work — a good director and a good film. Even if it’s a cameo, I want to make my work speak,” he says.
For an actor who’s busy today, he did not have a perfect start in the industry. His debut Thaa in 2010 was followed by a couple of years of uncertainty and elusive success. “It took a while to establish myself, and I learnt from each film I did,” he smiles, admitting he was serious about acting since his initial years in the industry. Evolving with every role, the Jil (2015) actor says the thirst for good roles egg him on. Why does he choose more antagonist roles? “I don’t choose them, they choose me,” he laughs and quickly adds that in his upcoming film Dora, starring Nayanthara, he plays a positive police officer. “Unlike my previous cop avatars, this is a much more refined character. The story doesn’t have a place for a male protagonist and revolves around Nayanthara’s character,” he shares.
Interestingly, he never thought he’d become an actor and plan a career in films. “That was never on my mind, even when I was in college. I was working as a flight steward for British Airways when director Surya Prabhakar asked me if I’d be interested in acting. I never expected that he would cast me in a lead role. That’s how Thaa happened,” he recalls. But Harish is not in a hurry to do lead roles. Confessing that he has been getting offers, he is taking it slow as he does not want to end up choosing the wrong script. “You may have a handful of films now, but you cannot predict how it will be tomorrow. I don’t believe in the term ‘hero’. To me, what matters is the character and that way, I am content with whatever comes my way,” he smiles. A while ago, he did a Malayalam film with Prithviraj called Mumbai Police. After that, he didn’t get many interesting offers but admits that there is a healthy change in Malayalam cinema now. “The audience is willing to encourage new thinking and even the older generation of actors are trying to adapt to the change. I am open to doing any role, but it has to excite me and offer a good scope for performance,” he says.
On the other hand, he’s equally excited about Bairavaa as he is working with Vijay for the first time in his career. “I play a character with grey shades, but I only come in the second half. I got to dabble with both positive and negative shades, which makes my role non-formulaic. This will be an important film to me as I travel with Vijay throughout. I also bet that it will be a treat to watch,” he says.
Speaking about teaming up with Suseenthiran after Pandiya Naadu, he says the latter is an amazing director who could bring out the best in everyone, enacting the scenes, thus making it easy. “It was a huge surprise when he approached me and I was happy to be a part of his film again. All I had to do was follow him,” he says. The story is based on true events, with Suseenthiran adding some fictional elements to some of the characters in the story.
Ask him if he misses his job when he travels in a plane, he laughs. “Sometimes yes, but I think I am in a better place now.”