EXCLUSIVE: Harman Singha on Dharmendra-Shabana Azmi kissing scene: It was a courageous scene and they did it beautifully

Aakruti Bagla

August 10, 2023
10:34 pm
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Harman Singh left an impact with his brief role as young Dharmendra in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Bubble, the actor shared his experience of working and reflected on his career.

harman singha, rocky aur rani kii prem kahaani, dharmendra

Karan Johar’s directorial Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani is making headlines for all the right reasons. Apart from Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt, the film starred actors like Dharmendra, Shabana Azmi Jaya Bachchan, Churni Ganguly, Tota Roy Chowdhary, and Anjali Anand among others. Another character that left an indelible mark with his performance was of Harman Singha who essayed the role of young Dharmendra in the flick. The actor recently got in an exclusive conversation with Bollywood Bubble and shared his experience of working as young Dharmendra. He also spoke about losing out on Jugjugg Jeeyo. Excerpts:

Harman Singha on his experience of working as young Dharmendra

Acting as younger Dharmendra meant filling a big shoe, but Harman did it effortlessly. When we asked Harman about his thoughts on the same, he shared, “I was very scared because it’s a huge undertaking. You don’t want to disrespect the person you are representing because legends like Dharmendra Ji are bigger than most films that they do. You want to do justice to it and I think I was very uncomfortable and nervous. The only thing I was sure about is that I want to have proper look. When we did first photoshoot, from Karan Johar to DOP, everyone unanimously said we are coming very close to what we were seeing in young Kanwal. The track is only about 2-3 minutes, but it was impactful.”

Harman Singha on playing young Dharmendra

On Dharmendra’s reaction after seeing his look

Harman didn’t get a chance to meet the cast, but he made sure to know Dharmendra Ji’s feedback. Sharing how he reacted, Harman revealed, “He loved it from the first photoshoot. That is the feedback I got from team because I didn’t meet him directly on set. I messaged our associate director and she said his first reaction is I like it. He said mujhe is ladke se milna hai, bahut pyara lag Raha hai (He said I want to meet this boy as he is looking innocent.)”

Harman reveals Dharmendra’s reaction towards his look

His reaction on Dharmendra-Shabana kissing scene

Dharmendra and Shabana Azmi share a passionate kiss on-screen as they reunite. This scene of the movie raised many eyebrows and drew mixed reactions. Sharing his take on the stint, Harman averred, “It’s a very courageous scene and they did it beautifully. I think I would be more nervous to do that myself as a director-writer. We have not seen two stalwarts of Bollywood at that stage in their career do it. It was a freedom of expression and love and they did it in a very celebratory manner. When the scene happened and we saw it on the big screen it just felt like that old love has connected again and that was the idea.”

Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol react to Dharmendra-Shabana kiss scene

Harman on his unreleased Abbas Tyrewala film Mango

While reflecting on his journey, Harman recalled how there were days he started shooting for a film and it got shelved. There was also a time his film was ready but didn’t release. “10 years ago I did a film directed by Abbas Tyrewala, it was titled Mango. The film was fully shot and had great cast but could not release because I think the studio decided not to”, he shared. Harman also opened up about how he dealt with that phase. He told, “It is very taxing to be in this industry first of all. U have to have a long term approach to it. I always appreciate the fact I am a part of this industry, but it’s mentally tough. If People think you can walk into it and be at the centre of the world, it’s very difficult.”

On losing out Jugjugg Jeeyo

We also asked Harman if there is a project he regrets losing. He revealed, “I had tested and was shortlisted for Maniesh Paul’s role in Jugjugg Jeeyo. But when I saw the role I was like you should do it Maniesh because he was flawless with every shot. Bura Nahi laga but I felt Mai bhai kar Sakta tha(So I didn’t feel bad but I felt even I could have done it.)”