Contents
Harsh Mayar is an Indian actor. He won the National Film Award for Best Child Artist for his work in the 2011 film I Am Kalam.
Wiki/Biography
Harsh Mayar was born on Sunday, 22 March 1998 (age 25 years; as of 2023), and he hails from Dakshinpuri in New Delhi, India. His zodiac sign is Aries.
Childhood picture of Harsh Mayar (standing in front of his parents) with his family
He attended Yogi Arvind Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya in Delhi. Growing up in a humble household, Harsh caught the acting bug at a very young age, watching Bollywood films and TV shows. His parents couldn’t afford acting classes for him. Therefore, his maternal uncle enrolled him in an acting workshop at Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra from 2005 to 2008, which initiated him into acting and prepared him for a series of auditions for dancing, singing, and acting. Always running from studies, Harsh grew up participating in various local plays in Mandi House, Delhi’s own Broadway. While recalling his initial days in theatre, in an interview, he said,
Firstly, I worked at the backstage. In my first stage show, I was given the role of a monkey. That was funny and exciting too. Even my mother was shocked to see me.”
Childhood picture of Harsh Mayar dressed up as Lord Shiva for Ram Leela
Although he first auditioned for the film Chillar Party (2011), he was rejected after which he landed the role of Chotu in I Am Kalam (2010). He talked about the same in an interview and said,
I was rejected for the movie Chillar Party and finally selected amongst 3,000 people for I am Kalam.”
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 6″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
Harsh’s father, Ashok, runs a tent contracting service, setting up tents for small functions. His mother’s name is Reeta. He has a younger brother, Chandan Mayar, who is a makeup artist.
Harsh Mayar’s parents
Harsh Mayar with his mother
Harsh Mayar with his brother, Chandan Mayar
Wife
As of 2022, he is unmarried.
Relationships/Affairs
Harsh Mayar’s girlfriend’s name is Sukanya Rajan. The couple has known each other since their teenagehood.
Harsh Mayar with his girlfriend Sukanya Rajan
Career
Theatre
At the beginning of his career, he worked as an actor at the performing arts theatre Shri Ram Centre in New Delhi. He earned immense appreciation for playing the role of Annant in the play Paighamber in which he shared the stage with veteran actors Tom Alter and Amit Behl.
Harsh Mayar sharing the stage with actors Tom Alter and Amit Behl in the play ‘Paighamber’
Film
Harsh Mayar made his debut with the Indian Hindi-language 2011 children’s film I Am Kalam in which he played the protagonist Chhotu (aka Kalam). Produced by the non-governmental charity Smile Foundation, the film follows the story of a poor boy Chotu, who forms an unlikely and unstable friendship with the lonely son of a nobleman. The film earned various accolades and catapulted Harsh Mayar to fame. He was also nominated for the Colors Screen Awards for Best Child Artist (2012) for his role as Chotu.
In 2012, he appeared in the Indian Hindi-language children’s film Jalpari: The Desert Mermaid in which he played the role of Ajite, a boy who leads a gang of kids in Madhogarh village.
Harsh Mayar (center) as Ajite in Jalpari The Desert Mermaid (2012)
In 2013, he appeared in the Indian- American English-language film Desires of the Heart in which he played the role of Nanu.
In the 2014 Indian Hindi-language thriller film Chaarfutiya Chhokare, he played the role of Awdesh. The film follows an NRI Neha Malini who returns to India to establish a school in Bihar. As she meets three boys, Awadhesh, Hari, and Gorakh, who want to join the school, she slowly starts discovering the hardships, obstructions, and risks awaiting her in the seemingly serene village. In 2018, he appeared in the Bollywood film Hichki as Aatish, one of the 9F students who come from a nearby slum and were admitted to St. Notker’s School to fill the government-prescribed quota for the underprivileged.
Harsh Mayar as Aatish in Hichki (2018)
In 2018, he appeared in the Indian-American film ‘Nine Hours in Mumbai’ in which he played the role of Taru.
Television
In 2014, he made his television debut when he appeared as a Bully in an episode of Channel V’s show Gumrah: End of Innocence. In 2016, he starred in a 78-episode action-drama series titled AdhaFULL, which aired on Doordarshan National. In the show, he played the role of Adrak, one of the three teenagers who are best of friends and form a gang called Aadha Full to solve mystery and crime cases that occur in their town, Badlapur.
Harsh Mayar as Adrak in AdhaFULL (2016)
Other TV shows in which he appeared include Kyunki… Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai (2011) which aired on Sahara One (DD National).
OTT/Web Series
In 2019, he appeared in two episodes of ZEE5 Original TV series Abhay in which he played the role of Sujay.
Harsh Mayar as Sujay in Abhay (2019)
In 2019, he played the role of Jugnu Lampat (Jugnu Harami) in the Hotstar Special anthology film Kanpuriye.
In 2020, he played the lead role of Manoj Bhardwaj in the mini-series Overtime. In the series, two IT employees, Manoj and Ramya, face everyday problems during an alien invasion, which leaves them in absolute boredom with no food and electricity.
In 2019, Mayar appeared in the web series Gullak. The role earned him a nomination in the category of Best Actor – Popular at the ITA Awards 2019.
He played the role of Rocky in the 2021 film The Tenant.
Others
In 2015, he starred in the Indian short film Untitled: The Words Left Unsaid in which he played the role of Nitin.
Untitled The Words Left Unsaid (2015)
In 2017, he received a Certificate of Excellence as an Actor at the 7th Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival for the Indian short film Porphessnal. In 2019, he played the role of Karun Nair in the TVF’s Qtiyapa’s video titled Padh Le Basanti.
Awards, Honours, Achievements
- National Film Award (2010) for Best Child Artist for the film I Am Kalam
President Pratibha Patil presenting Best Child Artist Award to Harsh Mayar during the 58th National Film Awards Function’ in New Delhi
- River Rock Award (2011) for Best Actor in Silent River Film Festival, California, for the film I Am Kalam
- Special Mention for Best Actor in International Children’s Film Festival India in 2011, Hyderabad, for the film I Am Kalam
- Best Actor in Minsk International Film Festival “Listapad” (2010)
- Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Nobel Awards 2018 by International Human Rights Council
Harsh Mayar receiving Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Nobel Awards 2018 from International Human Rights Council
- Certificate of Excellence at the 7th Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival (2017) for the short film Porphessnal
Favourites
- Cartoon(s): Tom & Jerry, Scooby-Doo, Richie Rich, Noddy
- Film(s): Sadma (1983), Good Newwz (2019)
- Book: Feluda By Satyajit Ray
- Author(s): Satyajit Ray, Premchand
Facts/Trivia
- A. P. J. Abdul Kalam gifted Harsh Mayar his autobiography, Wings of Fire, after the release of the film I Am Kalam.
Harsh Mayar with A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
- Harsh Mayar and his girlfriend, Sukanya Rajan, have each other’s names tattooed on their bodies. Harsh has ‘सुकन्या’ (Sukanya) inked on the back of his neck, while Sukanya has ‘Harsh’ inked on the left side of her waist.
A picture of Harsh Mayar and Sukanya Rajan’s couple tattoo