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After his stint on Bigg Boss Tamil, Harish Kalyan has managed to become one of the young actors who show promise. He tasted his first real success with Pyaar Prema Kaadhal (PPK) and then earned a name as a performer with Ispade Rajavum Idhaya Raniyum (IRIR). With a handful of romantic films lined up, he could be described Kollywood’s heartthrob. The actor talks to us about Dhanusu Rasi Neyargale (DRN), his upcoming projects, and fears of being stereotyped as a lover boy. Excerpts:

What made you pick DRN?

Actually, it was the success of PPK. Some of the humorous stuff that we’d tried in that film worked out with the audiences. I realised this only while watching the film in the theatre. I wanted to explore that comic side in me, and that’s why I chose this script. My characterisation in DRN will be fun throughout. It will not be laugh-out-loud funny, but will be amusing enough to bring a smile because the guy is someone who obsesses over stuff like astrology, horoscope and numerology.

After PPK, you did an intense film like IRIR, but you have gone back to a romcom again. Why?

I like intense films. So, having done such a film, I was wondering what I should do next, and I kept getting romantic scripts. So, what can I do that’s fresh in this genre and doesn’t stereotype me? That was the question I was asking myself. And in this script, romance is just one part of it. I’d say this is more of a family drama. And there is also something for the youth, by way of the comic moments. There is no bloodshed. There is no message either. So, everyone who wants to be entertained for a couple of hours will find this to their liking.

Has the lukewarm reception to IRIR created pressure on you to deliver with this film?

I wouldn’t say so. I agree IRIR did not do the numbers that PPK did at the box office, but both the producers and the distributors managed to get back the amount they had invested in it. I do not regret doing that film. I, in fact, consider it a plus as it was challenging to play that film’s lead character. As for this film, I felt I was doing films that were catering only to the youth, so I wanted to broaden my audience with such a film. The only burden that I feel is to make sure that the other segments of the audience come to the theatre and see this one.

Even though Sanjay Bharathi has been part of the industry for a few years, he’s still a debutant director. Was that a plus or a minus?

I’ve known Sanju for the past 10 years. We both were training under stunt master Pandian in 2008-09. He was concentrating on his acting career then. Later, I came to know that he was shifting to direction and had joined director Vijay as an AD with him. So, we’ve been in touch. After my stint in Bigg Boss Tamil, I’d wrapped up PPK, and Sanju approached me asking me to listen to a story idea that he had. Since he is the third generation in his family to be in films, I never had doubts about whether he could pull off a film like this one. Director Vijay still says that he misses having someone like Sanjay in his team now because he is commanding on set. He’s done something that veterans like Sundar C and KS Ravikumar do and you will appreciate him better once the film releases.

Given that this film deals with astrology, do you believe in it?

People at home do take my horoscope and check what the stars have in store for me. There are things that have happened as predicted, but there have also been events that occurred differently. Like, I’ve been told if I work hard, I’d succeed, and that did. It’s 50-50 — just like the existence of God.

You are working on the remake of Vicky Donor now. How is the experience like?

It’s exciting. Even when I’d seen Vicky Donor at the time of its release, I loved it, and I was wondering why people weren’t remaking it in Tamil. I guess the subject might not have been accepted here then. But now, people know what infertility and sperm donation is thanks to the ads of fertility centres that frequently appear across media. The film’s director, Krishna, is also an associate of Vijay. He’d done Yuddham Sharanam in Telugu with Naga Chaitanya. He’s a visually tuned filmmaker, and I liked how he’s adapted Vicky Donor to suit the sensibilities of our audiences. He has incorporated a new element that wasn’t there in the original in the second half. Vivekh sir is playing the character played by Annu Kapoor in the original. He is a very versatile actor, one who constantly improvises, and acting alongside him makes me push myself and do better.

And we hear you are also doing the remake of Pelli Choopulu, right?

That was a sudden development. I was supposed to do this film with director Sasi, but the pre-production work on it was taking some time, so I had a small gap in my schedule. And this offer came about, and fortunately for me, they were planning it to shoot it in 25 days. I referred my childhood friend and best buddy Karthik for director. He is also as assistant of director Vijay; he was the one who had told me about Sanju joining Vijay’s team. He had been pitching scripts to people in the industry for the past couple of years, but when I asked him, he agreed to do this one. He’s adapted the Telugu script without making any major changes as there isn’t much of a cultural difference between that culture and ours. Pelli Choopulu is already popular among film buffs and was Vijay Deverakonda’s big break, and all of us are excited to be doing this. In fact, when the producers told the technicians they might not be able to pay a big amount as salary, everyone, including the music director (Vishal Chandrashekar) and cinematographer (Krishnan Vasanth, who has shot films like 100 and Kalyana Samayal Saadham), were OK with it. We will be going on floors soon.

Both Vicky Donor and Pelli Choopulu proved to be the breaks for Ayushmann Khurrana and Vijay Deverakonda respectively. And they are the in-demand stars in their respective industries now. Does that scare you?

It does, a bit. Ayushmann’s script selection itself is very unique, be it Badhaai Ho or Article 15 or the recent Bala. He is a very versatile actor. After watching Andhadhun, I wanted to do it in Tamil, especially because I play music, and I felt that character to be so close to my real self. And I thought playing a visually challenged person would be a good challenge to take up. That did not happen, but I’m happy to be doing the Vicky Donor remake. And Pelli Choopulu was a trendsetting film in Telugu, and I loved how Vijay Deverakonda had played such a laid-back character. In fact, Karthik has been saying that he doesn’ want a replica of that performance, but I should find a new way to play the relaxed nature of the character.

You are going to work with a senior director like Sasi, who has given back-to-back hits. Any apprehensions?

I was quite nervous about it initially because all these three directors are in my age group, and Sasi sir is a senior director, so I wasn’t sure how his approach would be. But he is very sweet. In fact, after narrating the script, he said, ‘I’ve okayed you. If you are OK with me, we can proceed further.’ Imagine a successful director like him making such a request! He’s also a great narrator. He acts out the actions of the leads, and I haven’t seen this kind of a narration so far in my career. This is also a pure love story, probably like Roja Koottam, but for the audiences of today. It will be trendy in terms of the characterisation of the leads, and also in terms of narration. The story isn’t set in Chennai, from start to finish, and that in itself will lend a different flavour to the film. We will be going on floors after Pongal. Sasi sir is planning to have a workshop with the principal cast for a week. I’ll be doing another romantic film alongside this film. I’ll be teaming up with Elan again after PPK in this.

So, all your films are love stories. Aren’t you worried about being typecast as a lover boy?

I do, and I hope to break it soon. But the good thing is that each of the films that I’m doing is different in their own way even though they are all predominantly romantic films. For example, Elan’s film is a fantasy romance — it is literally an out-of-the-world love story. And I realise I really have to shift gear. I have planned to not sign anything until I complete this set of films. I want to wait until a couple of them release and want to do something different, like a Pariyerum Perumal, which is a damn good film. And I want to take up some thriller subjects, on the lines of Ratsasan. I don’t mean cop role, but a darker film. And maybe an out-and-out family entertainer like Santhosh Subramaniam. This is how the career map looks in my mind, but that said, I need to get the right scripts for this to become reality. And I do understand that the success or failure of the films that I’m doing right now will also have a huge say in this. But Vijay sir did so many love films at the start of his career, but he did manage to change his track. So, I, too, am hopeful.

What about romance in real life? Any pressure at home to get married?

Of course, people at home want me to get married. I am 29 now, so they are keen. But I’m taking my time.

No girlfriends?

No. Not that I’m not interested or anything, but I want to focus on films for the next couple of years, establish myself and then look at such things. There is no big story behind this decision.