Harman Baweja’s last screen appearance was in 2014’s crime-action film Dishkiyaoon. Filmmaker Harry Baweja’s son, who was launched with much fanfare in 2008 with Love Story 2050, failed to impress critics and audiences alike with his movie choices and performances over the years. However, the same critics and audiences cannot get over how good he is in the role of JCP Harshvardhan Shroff in Hansal Mehta’s Netflix web-series Scoop, based on journalist Jigna Vora’s life and book. Baweja’s character in the show is reportedly inspired by late Mumbai cop Himanshu Roy. Baweja talks about preparing for the role and his evolution as an actor. Edited excerpts:
Some people had to actually Google and confirm it’s really you playing the character of JCP Shroff in Scoop. Did you get similar reactions?
Yes, a lot of people said that. I remember sitting in my office with some actor friends and a director and the trailer for Scoop had just dropped. I played it on my screen and all they said was, ‘but this is not made by your company’. I showed it to them again and this time, I paused halfway and had to tell them ‘Guys, this is me’! (laughs) Then of course they made me replay the trailer. I think it was not expected and one also has the screen image of what I have done in the past. You still imagine that face and then you don’t relate it to the same person. That’s a good thing, I guess.
Hansal Mehta has mentioned in an interview that he had to emotionally blackmail you for the role.
(Laughs) To be honest, I have been focused on building my company Baweja Studios. We have done quite a few projects and finished a few films this year, some of which will start rolling out towards the latter half. My mind has been preoccupied with writing, producing and putting things together. Hansal and I were discussing some project and that is when he sneakily clicked a picture of me and I even caught him doing it! The next day when we met there was also Mukesh (Chhabra) around and these two casting mavericks got together and said I have to do this role. I had not been in the front of the camera for so many years and I didn’t know if I still had it in me, so I requested Hansal to take my audition. I guess that panned out well!
Was it ever an apprehension that you were playing a character inspired from a real-life cop?
Hansal was pretty clear from the onset. He said that the story is inspired from Jigna Vora’s book and the characters are all inspired characters. He told me that I understand the world and the character, and that is where we build it from. The character is a cop which is his profession. I have interacted with cops for the series Bhaukaal which I had written and produced a while ago. For a police officer who has been doing his job for 15-20 years, it is his everyday work. There is a certain ease you see in their behaviour and I had seen it from a writing and producing angle. It came very handy for me now. It was exciting for me to not only build the ease of being a cop but also the extremely complex human being that Shroff is. As a cop, he’s in charge and he seems to have got it all but as a character, he is dealing with so many issues, whether it is his failing health, his scenes with Jagruti and his son or the system which he is trying to wriggle out of. That is what Hansal and I discussed more than trying to base it on someone.
You were coming back on screen with such a complex character, that too, after so many years. Was it tough?
Yes, it was. However, the beauty of Hansal’s process is that it starts right from when you walk on set. It is in the atmosphere created on set and the casual conversations during coffee time. Those conversations are skewed towards relaxing you, building the environment, casually dropping in thoughts about the scene — not sitting down and explaining that we need to do this and that. He builds that atmosphere on set and very subliminally puts those thoughts in your head. Also, the script had it all. I have different scenes with so many characters and it was all so clearly etched out.
You have played larger-than-life characters in films but when it comes to OTT, did you feel any difference in the process?
As an actor, whether you are doing a series or a film, effectively you are performing what you need to in that scene in front of the camera. In OTT, you are just shooting more days and have a longer character arc. That is the only difference. Strangely even though I was on set after so many years and I was anxious before my first take, I eased into it. I think it’s something like sitting on a cycle after ten years. You’re wobbly for the first five minutes and then you are cruising away. It came back for me and I’m guessing it came even better! (laughs)
Your last screen appearance was in 2014 with Dishkiyaoon. You have spoken in interviews about the unfair media backlash you received that time. Was it so bad that you had to step out of acting?
I don’t think the media or anyone else is to be blamed for that. What happens is that everyone has a phase and an age. Sometimes, things don’t work out the way you expect them to, but I think the evolution is supposed to happen within me rather than anyone outside. Everyone is entitled to an opinion. It’s the same people who are having an opinion today. Obviously, I was much younger then and you think differently when you are younger. Once you give yourself time to reflect on things, it is then that you get it. I needed to evolve.
I don’t think there was anything personal (against me). Maybe, at times, I felt it got too much but I’m happy about it today. I am genuinely thankful. There has been a lot of appreciation that has come my way. If I’m the same Harman who is enjoying this, then the same guy was unhappy about what happened then. It is just human nature. But I wouldn’t change any of that because if I changed that, I won’t be here and I love right now! (smiles) Maybe the break was needed for me to distance myself from the way I was probably performing or the choices I was making — though I think I made some good choices. I worked with some very good directors. Sometimes things don’t work out and it’s part of the job.
You got into production. Did you enjoy it and do you continue to enjoy it?
Yes, I absolutely love it. I have been writing a lot. There are various things I have been working on. I come from a filmmaking background with my mom being a producer, my writer-director dad and now even my sister has finished directing a film and it should be out soon. This is what we love as a family. I am loving this phase. Even though there is an economic slowdown in the west, I feel the industry here is on an upswing. There are so many stories one can tell and a wider way of distributing content across platforms.
Are you open to more acting offers now?
I think if I find something which is compelling and I feel it is something I will enjoy doing, why not? Let’s hope something comes my way. It was 10-12 years before I returned, so you know I am a patient guy. I am in no hurry.
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