Haven’t signed anything after ‘Scoop’, want to focus on producing films: Harman Baweja

PTI, Oct 14, 2024, 3:46 PM IST

Harman Baweja

Mumbai: Actor Harman Baweja, who received a lot of acclaim for performance in web series “Scoop”, says while he is receiving many acting offers, his entire focus right now is on growing his production banner Baweja Studios.

Baweja made his debut in 2008’s “Love Story 2050” opposite Priyanka Chopra Jonas and took a break from the film industry after his 2014 film “Dishkiyaoon” didn’t do well at the box office.

In Hansal Mehta’s “Scoop”, which marked Baweja’s acting effort in almost a decade, the actor was one of the breakout performers in the Netflix show in which he played ACP Shroff, a slimy and corrupt cop.

“God has been kind; I will not deny that I’ve been approached (for acting roles). But I haven’t signed anything after ‘Scoop’. As an actor, I’m not doing anything substantial. I did ‘Scoop’ after 10 years, which worked out well, for me, it was a small, but strong part,” Baweja told PTI in an interview.

“The entire focus is on Baweja Studios and everything that we are producing, distributing and creating. I’m enjoying this journey. The choice, in terms of content of what you want to produce, is much wider,” he said, adding there are more “exciting” films in the pipeline. Baweja, who made his debut as a producer with Mehta’s 2002 movie “Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai”, said he “enjoys” writing and producing more than acting.

“About 95 to 96 per cent of work will be on production. I don’t think I’ll be filming as an actor for more than 10 to 15 days in two to three years. I loved doing ‘Scoop’. I’m grateful and elated with the reactions I got for it. I would love to get an equally befitting reaction to the films I’ve produced,” he added.

He also emphasised the importance of assembling the right team and producing compelling content.

“We are in the business of making content. You’ve got to constantly reinvent, be unique. It’s hard to tell a story that’s never been told before because we’ve heard of a derivative of almost every story that exists.

“But what’s important is to constantly work around the screenplay, add more relatable characters, scenes which are more exciting, the technical progress of the technicians, and the HoDs.” The actor-producer is ecstatic about distributing the Tamil film “Vettaiyan”, starring Rajinikanth and Amitabh Bachchan, in north India. Directed by TJ Gnanavel, the movie released in theatres on October 11.

Baweja is also backing “Maharagni – Queen of Queens”, an action thriller headlined by Kajol, and “Mrs” starring Sanya Malhotra.

“Maharagni…”, also starring Prabhu Deva and Naseeruddin Shah, is a gripping narrative of power and intrigue set against a royal backdrop. It marks the directorial debut of Charan Tej Uppalapati.

“Women can kick a** as good as the men. I don’t think I’ve ever looked at it as, ‘I need to make a female-led film’, it’s just about ‘Hey! The story works, we like it’,” he said.

“Mrs” is the Hindi remake of the 2021 Malayalam hit “The Great Indian Kitchen”. It is directed by Arati Kadav (“Cargo”), who is also credited as a writer on the movie along with Anu Singh Chaudhary and Baweja.

Working on “Mrs” was a “monumental task” as a writer, he said.

“We’ve got a film which is already written and we have to work hard because it is a beautiful film. You don’t want to lose the soul or essence, and what the film stands for. At the same time, you have the opportunity to do something beautiful and maybe take it up a notch, and that’s always a challenge.” Baweja, son of director Harry Baweja and producer Pammi Baweja, said he was always interested in cinema.

“It’s always been about making films, in some way or the other being associated with them. Lucky enough to be producing and writing, and those are my two primary focus areas in the current scenario. Let’s see where the road takes us.

“As a writer for me, joy is when you crack a good scene or come up with an interesting character. The excitement and fulfilment, when cracking a good story, collaborating in a writer’s room with many different minds, cannot be quantified with money,” he added.

Going forward, Baweja wants to explore the animation space.

“That space is under-penetrated and under-represented. There’s a wide audience for it, we’ve seen globally,” he said.

Some of his other home production films include “Boy from Andaman” with “Delhi Crime” creator Richie Mehta.