Harshvardhan Rane is currently enjoying the success of his latest film Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat, which is even giving Ayushmann Khurrana’s Thamma competition at the box office. But like any outsider, his journey in the film industry hasn’t been easy. He rose to immense popularity only after his 2016 romantic drama Sanam Teri Kasam found a new audience during the Covid-19 lockdown.
However, Harshvardhan is much more than just an actor. He’s a multifaceted personality who studied psychology after achieving success, did odd jobs — including working as a delivery boy — during his struggling days, and even took up carpentry to earn his daily meals. Here’s a closer look at the many intriguing facets of his life.
Early struggle
Rane ran away from his home in Gwalior at the age of 16 to become an actor. He was inspired after seeing Sharad Kelkar, another actor from Gwalior, and gained the confidence to try his luck in showbiz. He left home with just Rs 200 in his pocket and went to Delhi. To survive, he started doing odd jobs. He worked as a waiter, which paid him just Rs 10 a day, and a plate of chole-chawal was part of his daily meal. He also worked in STD booths, cyber cafés, and delivery services.
Joined call centre to learn English
Later, he joined a call centre because he wished to learn English. Speaking to Free Press Journal about the same, he said, “That time people would say it’s important to learn English. It then became my goal to learn the language. I looked around for coaching classes, but I didn’t have money to pay for them. So, I joined a call centre. At call centres, they used to give training in soft skills and English.”
Delivered helmet to John Abraham as a delivery boy
During his struggling days, he also worked as a delivery boy and it was during this time that he got the chance to meet John Abraham. “In 2004, I used to work as a delivery boy and I once delivered a helmet to John Abraham. I didn’t deliver it at his home, but at an event in Delhi and I had to deliver it at a hotel. When I got to know that it is for John Sir, I got a little… like every common man would. But then his manager asked me to wait and I thought something has gone wrong or the helmet was scratched, but he came out to just thank me. Then I understood that humanity is number one and everything else is after that,” he told Zoom. Later, Harsh got to work with John Abraham in his production, Tara vs Bilal.
Worked as carpenter after first film to survive
Rane started his career in TV before moving to the South. He starred in a Telugu film, but after his first film, he was only being offered negative roles, so he decided to wait for correct roles and meanwhile picked up carpentry to survive.
Speaking to The Telegraph, he said, “I didn’t want to do negative roles and because of that for three years, I didn’t get work. Financially, I have been broke many times, I am still broke sometimes and now I am an expert at being broke! (Laughs) There was a time when things got so bad that the assistant I had hired after my first film had to feed me for six months.”
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He added, “For survival, out of the blue, I picked up carpentry. My father used to work with wood and as a child, I picked up a lot of those skills and I started carpentry as a part-time career. I started buying old furniture from Nampally Station (in Hyderabad) and retextured it…. Ameer logon ko distressed look bahut pasand hain (laughs), toh main woh karke unko bech deta tha. Usse mere khaane-peene ka ho jaata tha. That taught me a lot and even today my WhatsApp status says ‘carpenter.’ That always gives me the assurance that I may not get as much success, but I will not go hungry ever.”
Studied psychology major after becoming an actor
Rane’s hunger to learn different things didn’t stop even after he tasted success in films. In a recent interaction, his Deewane Ki Deewaniyat co-star recalled how the actor was studying for exams for his psychology major even during the hectic shoot of the film.
Shaad Randhawa said, “Harshvardhan Rane is a completely different person. He is a multifaceted person. For example, we were rehearsing scenes and we didn’t have that much time — we had to shoot the film in 30–35 days. He would take breaks in between rehearsal and go somewhere. I saw that he was taking notes; when I asked him about it, he told me that it is not for the film, but that he is giving exams and he is preparing for them.” He added, “He was studying psychology major, and he was giving exams for the same. He was studying during the growing schedule of Deewane Ki Deewaniyat.”
Harsh also spoke to Hindustan Times on why he decided to pursue studies after gaining success in films. “There was always this void of not completing my education to become an actor. In the last few years, there has been some sense of belongingness within the industry, maybe just from my side. So, I picked up on filling the void I had always felt,” he said.
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For Rane, it wasn’t easy to manage time for studying in between his acting commitments, but he made it possible. “I started walking to my gym which would take 45 minutes, and I’d listen to audio lectures in that time. During exercising, on my way home, in car transit, at airport lounges, everywhere I would listen to lectures. And I have done the most amount of study in flights. I have started to love traffic also because it gives me time to study. I have done my assignments at a government office when their servers went down,” he shared.
Rane’s multifaceted personality
Rane has other hobbies too, and he takes them seriously. During the interaction, Shaad spoke about his interest in wildlife photography. “He sometimes leaves for the jungle. He is a wildlife photographer. He was the photographer on the set, he knows about lighting, camera and everything. And most importantly, he’s such a team player and a very secure actor,” he said. Rane’s two films — Ek Deewane ki Deewaniyat and Sanam Teri Kasam — have combined earned Rs 100 crore. While Sanam Teri Kasam’s re-release earned Rs 30 crore, Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat has earned Rs 70 scrore since its release.
