The seasoned ‘Avatar’ of the small screen

At first glance, he appears to be the quintessential Punjabi munda – flamboyant, charming and oozing confidence. In fact, this charm is what endeared actor Harish Verma to those who saw him as Avatar in the serial, Na Aana Is Des Mein Laado.

But Harish soon managed to irk viewers with his character’s meekness and inability to take a stand. And now, he has them hooked with his ‘transformation’ as the man who doesn’t hesitate to speak his mind. It is these gradual changes in his character and the corresponding audience reactions which Harish enjoys the most in his first Hindi serial. “It is very satisfying as an actor, to be able to add different little shades to your character,” he says. “It was precisely the many dimensions of his role that attracted to this serial,” he adds.

When Harish came to the city from Punjab, many in Mumbai’s TV industry thought he was just another aspiring actor. Even the viewers of Na Aana Is Desh Mein Laado thought so. Perhaps that is why they were pleasantly surprised with his instant understanding of his character and his acting prowess. “Few people in Mumbai knew that I have been an actor in Punjab for many years before coming here,” Harish smiles.

The deceptively simple remark fails to reveal that the seasoned actor has done over 72 plays and around 2,000 stage performances in the past seven years alone. “I’ve played numerous characters on stage which were older than my age. So playing Avatar – who is also an older character – was not something new to me,” he says matter-of-factly.

It is not only the small screen and stage on which Harish has made his presence felt. His boyish charm also stole several hearts in the film Punjaban, his first feature film. In fact, the anti-hero’s role also got him nominated for the best actor in a negative role. And the seasoned actor is all set to cast his spell once again in his next Punjabi film, Yaar Anmulle, in which he plays the lead. The film also stars Arya Babbar.

However, the large-hearted hunk now wants to expand his horizons, and Na Aana Is Mein Laado, apparently, is the first step in that direction. “I have done a lot of great work in Punjab. And this serial has given me nation-wide recognition. In fact, I even get calls from abroad, praising my performance in a particular episode,” Harish says.

Predictably, Bollywood is not far behind. The industry is already abuzz with the immense potential he has shown in his films and the popular Hindi serial. And film offers are trickling in too. But Harish is far too seasoned to do things in haste. “At the moment, I am committed to Na Aana Is Desh Mein Laado. Once I finish work here, I’ll look at the kind of offers that are coming and accept roles which satisfy me as a actor,” he asserts.     

                                                                                        -ZAINAB KHAN