Harman Baweja: Hope people are a little more gracious to make up for the things they wrote about me

Harman Baweja, who returned to screen after 10 years with Hansal Mehta directed web show, Scoop, is garnering all the praise for his portrayal of JCP Shroff. However, the actor recalls the time when distanced himself from the film industry after his projects failed, and he was subjected to brutal criticism. “When you write something negative about an actor, it’s not just that individual, but a whole family behind, who reads it and get affected. I love the work I do, but I love myself and my family far more. I believe, it was important that I step away, and be in a better frame of mind then trudging along. There was so much more to do in life at that point and I am glad I chose to take that break.”

He also feels that the industry was unfair towards him and didn’t give enough opportunities at a time when his contemporaries were growing. “Bollywood works as an industry that’s governed by economics and talent. And when the economics don’t work out, the opportunity is taken away, and that’s extremely fair,” he continues, “For me, what was more unfair was some of the personal stuff, which was written about me.”

Glad that people are now recognising and acknowledging his acting chops, Baweja adds, “While they are appreciating my work, I hope they are a little more gracious than they need to be to make up for the things they wrote about me in the past.”

The 42-year-old is currently enjoying this phase being a part of the industry, where he is able to take challenges in terms of stories and characters. He admits that back then, he refrained from taking risks but adds that it wasn’t because he got tired of the constant backlash.

“It was just that I felt like a lot of it was uncalled for. At the end of the day, you’ve done a film, some people liked it and a lot of people actually didn’t like it. One would imagine that would be the end of that, and then you kind of move on to the next. But that didn’t happen,” he recounts, adding that the biggest setback in his career was when his debut film Love Story 2050 (2008) tanked at the box office.

He tells us, “It was an effort from my whole family. My sister finished film school, and was busy working, but she left that game and joined my film. And my mom produced the film. I was a part of it. So, that way, we were all very involved and entrenched in the project. It was extremely ambitious. We really went all out with the VFX, and had put three-four years of hard work. But, eventually, it didn’t pan out the way one imagined. That was really heartbreaking.”

And now that his latest web outing is making all the noise, Baweja says, “I have the same family who saw me in Scoop and were reading all the good reviews, and feeling very happy. So, it’s all a matter of time and all things can change.”