Nothing succeeds like success, at least not in the entertainment industry. Harshvardhan Rane was for many years a struggler in the film industry. One superhit has changed his fortunes.
Harshvardhan Rane has finally arrived. His Diwali release Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat is not only a smash hit, it has surpassed the collection of the purported Diwali blockbuster Thamma in several centres. Made at a budget of 25 Crores, Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat has minted over 85 crores in two weeks, making it a blockbuster.
And now, producer John Abraham has signed Rane for the third instalment of the Force franchise at a fee of 17 crores. Force 3 will be directed by Bhav Dhulia and will have John Abraham as a producer only. He won’t be starring in Force 3 and will let Harshvardhan Rane take the lead.
Confirming this, a source close to the project says, “John has mentored Rane from the start. John saw Rane as an action hero and that’s how he has cast Rane in Force 3.”
As for the fee, the source says, “Harshvardhan got a mere 2.5 crores for Deewane Ki Deewaniyat. He has proven his box-office clout and he is getting what he deserves for Force 3.”
Grateful to the universe, Rane started his career in Telugu cinema with Thakita Thakita, Naa Ishtam, Avunu Harsha, Prema Ishq Kaadhal, Anaamika, Ajay, Nee Enge En Anbe, Geethanjali, Madhunandan, Brother of Bommali, Hello Good Bye, and Avunu 2 before getting a break in Hindi cinema with Sanam Teri Kasam.
Harshvardhan Rane did the impossible in Telugu cinema. He broke into the strictly-cordoned domain of leading men in Andhra Pradesh to become the first Hindi-speaking hero of Telugu cinema.
Harshvardhan admits it wasn’t easy. “Telugu cinema has a very rigid star system. Actors from Hindi cinema had earlier been welcomed only as villains, for example, Sonu Sood, Kelly Dorji, Ashish Vidyarthi, but never as a leading man.”
It took Harsh some time to break through the glass ceiling. “After my first Telugu release Thakita Thakita, which I got because of the kindness of yoga guru Bharat Thakur and his actress wife Bhumika Chawla who turned producers, there was a long gap when I got no work in Telugu cinema. Then suddenly work started pouring in again. I had ten offers one after another. Yes, I was spoilt for choices,” says Harsh, whose mother is from Andhra Pradesh, and he dubs his own Telugu lines.
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