‘The truth about Priyanka?’

Hrithik look-alike?
Tall, lean and togged in a cool white shirt and jeans, at first glance he looks like any other good-looking youngster. It is his smile, the unruly mop of raven hair and twinkling eyes that make Harman Baweja extraordinary. Tell him that he has a startling resemblance to Hrithik Roshan, and the newbie smiles mischievously, “I have been looking at myself for 27 years, my mirror doesn’t say so. But the comparison does not affect me, except that it sets off expectations which are not fair.”

Frustrated efforts
Both his debut film, Love Story 2050, and his romance with the leading lady, Priyanka Chopra, have been making news for almost two years. Only the actor has been kept hidden. “I had a good laugh when I was linked with Deepika Padukone and wondered where it came from. Otherwise all these link-ups are unfair because I want people to talk about my work. What hurt the most was when Kareena Kapoor walked out of the film. We were at our wit’s end and unsure about who would play the leading lady, and a paper said ‘Hope Love Story 2050 releases before 2050’. At other times, it was frustrating not being able to put across the real me,” says the seemingly easy-going gent.

Love matters
So is it true that Priyanka stepped in because she was his girlfriend? “Priyanka came on board because she loved the script. About us? Thank goodness you are not asking me to put my hand on the Gita. I know there have been speculations about us being together but if there is something exciting, I’ll talk about it.”

Dad’s gift
And now that the industry’s most ambitious and talked-about project is all set to release, how does it feel? “Nervous at times and excited at other times. I guess the real jitters set in a day before the premiere,” he laughs. The movie is a Rs 50 crore sci-fi romance with mind-boggling special effects and specially-assembled animatronix robots, and Harman gets a tad bit emotional when questioned about the extravagant project. “Never before has a sci-fi film with such special effects been combined with a deep story. Love Story 2050 will definitely take Hindi cinema to another level. How many sons in the world have got such a huge gift from their fathers?” Pa Harry Baweja’s last few films, Deewane, Teesri Aankh and Main Aisa Hi Hoon, have put him on a weak wicket. “Yes, we are coming after a huge dip, and the challenge to prove ourselves is more. But we are convinced,” says the son. Flying start Harman had other dreams before he settled to become an actor.

“I wanted to be a pilot, but soon abandoned the idea in favour of thehospitality sector. I went to Switzerland to study hotel management, but dropped out to act,” says the actor, who later joined the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, New York, and returned to assist his father on Deewane and Main Aisa Hi Hoon.

What’s more?
Even before his first film is released, Harman is being offered 20 scripts a day. “In Ajit Pal’s Victory, I play a cricketerand it’s one of the most expensive sports films to be made. As for Anees Bazmee’s project with Genelia D’Souza, it is a remake of a major southern blockbuster.”

Source : expressindia.com