If
life
doesn't
move
in
a
straight
line,
why
should
cinema?
That's
what
actor
Harsh
Varrdhan
Kapoor
says
he
always
asks
himself
before
signing
a
film.
Son
of
actor
Anil
Kapoor,
Harsh
made
his
acting
debut
with
Rakyesh
Omprakash
Mehra-directed
romance
drama
Mirzya
and
followed
it
up
with
Vikramaditya
Motwane's
action
thriller
Bhavesh
Joshi
Superhero
and
a
cameo
appearance
as
himself
in
blacky
comedy
thriller
AK
vs
AK.
The
30-year-old
actor,
who
started
his
journey
in
the
entertainment
industry
as
an
assistant
director
on
Anurag
Kashyap's
2015
film
Bombay
Velvet,
believes
it
is
important
to
have
digressions
in
movies
as
it
gives
a
unique
flow
to
stories.
"I
like
digression
in
films.
I
believe,
in
a
film,
everything
doesn’t
need
to
go
like
a
bullet
or
in
a
straight
line.
Everything
doesn't
need
to
have
a
reason,
sometimes
things
are
just
there.
I
come
from
that
school
of
thought.
There
is
unpredictability
and
randomness
to
life
and
films
should
reflect
that.
They
don't
need
to
be
so
structured," the
actor
told
PTI
in
a
Zoom
interview.
Harsh
will
next
be
seen
in
Ray,
a
Netflix
anthology
series
based
on
the
short
stories
written
by
legendary
filmmaker
Satyajit
Ray.
The
series
has
four
episodes,
each
a
contemporary
interpretation
of
Ray's
writings
with
Harsh
starring
alongside
Radhika
Madan
in
the
Vasan
Bala-directed
Spotlight.
The
story
revolves
around
a
popular
but
creatively
unsatisfied
actor
dealing
with
his
insecurities
as
a
cult
leader's
presence
threatens
his
stardom.
Harsh
said
he
gave
his
nod
to
the
project
without
even
reading
the
script
as
he
knew
that
Bala's
quirky
approach
aligned
with
his
thought
process.
Bala,
best
known
for
his
film
Mard
Ko
Dard
Nahi
Hota,
"creates
structure,
but
within
that,
it
kind
of
feels
like
things
are
just
happening
and
flowing," the
actor
said.
One
can
be
talented,
but
that
may
not
come
through
if
the
process
of
filmmaking
is
too
"self-serious",
believes
Harsh,
who
thoroughly
enjoyed
Bala's
working
style.
"The
thing
with
Vasan
is
that
he
creates
such
a
lovely
environment
and
as
an
actor
you
are
not
afraid
to
fail,
because
you
know
he
is
going
to
care
of
you.
Sometimes
when
the
process
of
filmmaking
gets
too
self-serious,
you
are
full
of
fear
and
operate
from
a
place
of
fear
or
are
withdrawn
and
held
back."
For
his
role
of
actor
Vikram
Arora,
Harsh
said
he
channeled
the
anxiety
he
was
going
through
during
the
first
wave
of
the
COVID-19
pandemic
in
India.
The
actor
said
he
could
identify
with
the
anxiousness
and
honesty
of
his
character.
"I
was
going
through
an
anxious
time
during
the
first
wave
of
COVID,
not
knowing
what
the
future
is.
When
I
read
the
material,
I
felt
the
character
was
also
someone
who
was
anxious
and
honest.
"I
just
literally
took
that
feeling
of
uncertainty
and
read
the
script
a
million
times.
We
were
all
bound
in
our
homes,
I
used
to
get
on
Zoom
calls
with
my
acting
coach,
and
do
the
scenes
many
times
in
different
ways," he
said.
As
somebody
who
is
just
four
projects
old
in
the
industry
and
has
shot
for
five
films,
the
actor
said
he
is
new
to
the
world
of
cinema
but
working
on
Spotlight
was
the
best
experience.
The
actor
said
the
process
kept
getting
more
"bizarre"
with
each
passing
day
as
he
prepared
for
the
anthology.
"I
would
do
calls
with
Vasan,
holding
the
camera
over
my
head,
looking
as
if
I’m
someone
possessed
and
then
suddenly
mount
it
and
break
out
into
a
scene.
It
was
a
two-month
journey
with
the
material
and
it
kept
getting
more
and
more
bizarre."
Ray
also
features
three
other
episodes
--
"Hungama
Hai
Kyon
Barpa",
helmed
by
Abhishek
Chaubey,
and
Srijit
Mukherji-directed
"Forget
Me
Not"
and
"Bahrupiya".
The
ensemble
cast
includes
Manoj
Bajpayee,
Gajraj
Rao,
Ali
Fazal,
Shweta
Basu
Prasad,
Anindita
Bose,
Kay
Kay
Menon,
Bidita
Bag,
Dibyendu
Bhattacharya,
Chandan
Roy
Sanyal,
Akansha
Ranjan
Kapoor,
among
others
The
anthology
premieres
on
Netflix
on
Friday.