Harsh Vardhan Kapoor (/hrshvrdhn/; born November 9, 1990) is an Indian film producer and actor. He is the actor Anil Kapoor's son.
Early years
Harsh Kapoor was born on November 9, 1990, in Mumbai, the only son of actor Anil Kapoor and Sunita Kapoor. He is the youngest of three siblings and the younger brother of actress Sonam Kapoor and producer Rhea Kapoor. He attended Arya Vidya Mandir in Juhu for his primary education and Podar International for his A levels. Kapoor attended Chapman University in Orange County, California, to study screenwriting. Harsh studied at Chapman under Oscar-winning screenwriter David Ward, who is known for films such as Sting and Sleepless in Seattle.
Harsh has frequently stated in interviews that he was fortunate to have been exposed to various genres of cinema from around the world from a young age. This exposure to various forms and aesthetics has influenced his choices and sensibilities in his own film career.
Career
Kapoor began his acting career as an assistant director on Anurag Kashyap's 2015 film Bombay Velvet.
Rakesh Omprakash Mehra, the director of Rang De Basanti and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, approached Harshvardhan for Mirzya, an art house romantic musical. Mirzya, written by Oscar winner Gulzar, used poetry and a Greek chorus as narrative guides, a bold and unconventional style. Harsh signed the film in 2013 and spent over a year preparing for it. He studied horseback riding and archery, as well as the two distinct characters required for the film. Mirzya premiered at the prestigious London Film Festival in 2016 to positive reviews in the international press, including praise from the New York Times, but received mixed reviews in India and did not perform well commercially. Meena Iyer of Times of India rated the film 3/5, praised the performances of leads Harshvardhan and Saiyami, and described it as "a broad, brash Bollywood romance, juggling Punjabi folklore with more contemporary Shakespearean allusions in its two-tiered narrative." "Impressive performance by Harshvardhan Kapoor & Saiyami Kher, but a one-time watch," the Economic Times said of the film's 3.5/5 rating.
Vikramaditya Motwane's vigilante drama Bhavesh Joshi Superhero was Harsh's next film. The film, which was funded by Eros and later Reliance and Phantom Films, was released in June 2018 to mixed reviews. Moviegoers praised the film for its realism, strong performances, and technical accomplishments, but others criticized it for its jarring length and predictable plot points. It wasn't until the film was released on digital platforms that it began to gain traction, with YouTube and the blogosphere exploding with glowing reviews. Bhavesh Joshi's film has amassed a massive cult following in the months and years since, with some referring to it as India's best superhero film ever and campaigning for a sequel. Despite receiving positive reviews, the film was a box-office flop, grossing only 4.35 crore on a budget of 21 crore. The central theme of the film, as well as the acting performances, were praised by Neil Soans of The Times of India, who gave the film a rating of 3.5 out of 5. According to Raja Sen of NDTV, the film has good intentions and is full of commendable acting performances, but the screenplay lacks originality and is not strong enough to make the film an interesting watch. The concept of the film, the acting performances, and the music by Amit Trivedi impressed Rajeev Masand of News18, but he was critical of the poorly written script and gave the film a rating of 2.5 out of 5.
In 2020, he reunited with Vikramaditya Motwane for the Netflix film AK vs AK, in which he played a fictionalized version of himself alongside his father and sister. Harsh went on to deliver one of the most memorable cameos in recent memory, with critics from all over heaping praise on him. The risk taken by the AK vs AK team paid off handsomely when the film went on to become one of the most critically acclaimed films of 2020. Harsh had reportedly agreed to play the lead in Sriram Raghavan's Andhadhun but had to back out due to scheduling conflicts.
In 2021, he appeared in an episode of the Netflix show Ray. "Manoj Bajpayee, Harsh Vardhan Kapoor, Ali Fazal, and Radhika Madan lead a handful of excellent performers in Netflix's irreverent but inconsistent anthology based on Satyajit Ray's short stories," wrote Rohan Naahar in his review.
In 2022, he starred in and co-produced Thar, a film that was released on Netflix on May 6, 2022. His father, Fatima Sana Shaikh, and Satish Kaushik also played important roles in the film. Raj Singh Chaudhary directed and co-wrote the film. Anurag Kashyap created the dialogues. Critics gave it mixed to positive reviews, praising the direction, cinematography, performances, dialogues, background score, and homages to the Western genre, while criticizing the predictable story, screenplay, and editing. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave the film 3.5/5 stars and wrote, "Thar is a surprise of the season and worth watching for its plot, direction, music score, and never before seen Rajasthan locales." The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw gave the film three out of five stars, writing, "There are hints of Sergio Leone and Cormac McCarthy in this Rajasthan-set mystery starring the actor and his son." Bharathi Pradhan of Lehren gave the film three stars and described it as "cruel and compelling." The Times of India's Renuka Vyavahare gave the film three stars and wrote, "Anil Kapoor's film choices are only getting better and bolder with age, whether it's Thar or AK vs AK, he's showing the millennials and OTT clan what a certified movie star is made of." "Shots of the sprawling desert landscape give one that classic western feel that can transport them back in time to the classic westerns or even the spaghetti westerns," wrote Reubyn Coutinho of Netflix Junkie. Prateek Sur of Outlook India gave the film a rating of 3/5 stars and wrote, "While Chaudhary has made a great attempt at bringing forth a dark neo-noir thriller, but in his haste to keep it under two hours,
Artistry
Following critical acclaim for his performance in AK vs AK, Kapoor appeared in acclaimed filmmaker Vasan Bala's adaptation of Satyajit Ray's short story Spotlight in the Netflix anthology series Ray. Ray received mostly positive reviews, with Bala's and Abhishek Chaubey's films receiving the most attention. Top critics gave him glowing recommendations. Ray was later nominated for Best Film at the Filmfare OTT awards.
Harsh quickly established a reputation for making good film choices with Bhavesh Joshi, AK vs AK, and Ray. Thar, his next film, was co-written and directed by his father, Anil Kapoor. Thar was India's first western noir action thriller, co-written by Anurag Kashyap and directed by debutant actor-turned-director Raj Singh Chaudhary. He was fighting an uphill battle to get the film financed because of the risky format and genre of the film until Netflix greenlit it. He worked hard on his physicality to play a quiet character with many shades of gray, so that his body language could speak louder than words. This release
on Netflix in 2022 to both domestic and international acclaim. According to an Ormax media survey, Thar is one of the most liked and watched OTT originals in 2022. Notably, Thar marked Harsh's first appearance as a producer under the AKFC banner.
Harsh worked closely with acting coaches Jeff Goldberg and Suraj Vyas to hone his craft during the pandemic. He has spoken openly on numerous occasions about his implicit trust in his mentors to guide him on new projects.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Bombay Velvet | — | Assistant director |
| 2016 | Mirzya | Munish/Adil | Debut film |
| 2018 | Bhavesh Joshi Superhero | Siku | |
| 2020 | AK vs AK | Himself | |
| 2022 | Thar | Siddharth | Also producer |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Ray | Vikram Arora | Episode: "Spotlight" |
| Award | Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Star Entertainment Awards | 2016 | Most Entertaining Debut Actor | Mirzya | Won |
| Indian Television Academy Awards | 2022 | Best Actor - Original Film (OTT) | Thar | Won |
| Filmfare Awards | 2017 | Best Male Debut | Mirzya | Nominated |
| Filmfare Glamour and Style Awards | 2016 | Fashion Debut of the Year | — | Won |
| Filmfare OTT Awards | 2022 | Best Actor - Web Original Film | Thar | Nominated |
| Best Web Original Film | Nominated | |||
| Screen Awards | 2016 | Best Male Debut | Mirzya | Won[a] |
| Stardust Award | 2016 | Best Acting Debut (Male) | Mirzya | Won |
| Bio | |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Harsh |
| Profession | Actor |
| Physical Stats & More | |
| Height (approx.) | in centimeters- 178 cm in meters- 1.78 m in Feet Inches- 5’ 10” |
| Weight (approx.) | in Kilograms- 74 kg in Pounds- 178 lbs |
| Body Measurements (approx.) | - Chest: 40 Inches - Waist: 32 Inches - Biceps: 15 Inches |
| Eye Colour | Black |
| Hair Colour | Black |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 9 November 1990 |
| Age (as in 2023) | 33 Years |
| Birth Place | Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
| Zodiac sign/Sun sign | Scorpio |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Hometown | Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
| School | Not Known |
| College | Not Known |
| Educational Qualifications | Course in screenplay writing/cinematography /acting |
| Debut | Film: Mirzya (2016) |
| Family | Father- Anil Kapoor (Actor) Mother- Sunita Kapoor Sister- Sonam Kapoor (Elder, Actress) and Rhea Kapoor (Elder, Producer) Brother- None |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Hobbies | Swimming |
| Favourite Things | |
| Favourite Food | Pizza |
| Favourite Actor(s) | Aamir Khan, Ranveer Singh, Charlie Sheen |
| Favourite Actresses | Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone, Brit Marling, Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Watson |
| Favourite Film(s) | Lootera, Another Earth, ABCD2, Her, Gangs of Wasseypur, Delhi 6, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Somewhere, 127 Hours, Slumdog Millionaire, Thank You, Enter The Void, 500 Days of Summer,Jhootha Hi Sahi, Break Ke Baad, Udaan |
| Favourite Musician(s) | Sneha Khanwalkar, Travis Barker, Shankar Ehsaan Loy, Shannon Donald, Nina & Malika, Linkin Park, Jared Leto, Deadmau5, Barry Jekowsky, Sahej |
| Favourite Restaurant(s) | Pizza Mia in Panjim, Ellipsis in Mumbai and Suzette in Mumbai |
| Favourite Football Club | Manchester United FC |
| Favourite Destination | USA |
| Girls, Affairs and More | |
| Marital Status | Unmarried |
| Wife/Spouse | N/A |
| Money Factor | |
| Salary | Not Known |
| Net Worth | Not Known |
