Exclusive! Harsh Gandhi: From Content Creation to On-Screen Debut in 'School Friends'

Meet Harsh Gandhi, a prominent digital content creator known for his expertise in fitness, fashion, skincare, and his successful YouTube series 'On the Road with Harsh.' Harsh is now stepping into the world of acting with his debut role in the web series 'School Friends,' available exclusively on Amazon Mini TV. In this exclusive interview, Harsh Gandhi shares insights about his journey, his experiences filming the series, and his thoughts on bridging the gap between content creation and acting.

Congratulations on your acting debut in 'School Friends'! How does it feel to make this transition from digital content creation to acting?

Thank you!! It has been an amazing journey of trying out new things and expanding my skill set. I wouldn't say I've transitioned to acting fully yet; my roots are still in content creation, and I will continue to do that. But acting was a thing that I always wanted to do since I was young, and well, this experience was amazing!

'School Friends' explores the complexities of middle school friendships. What attracted you to this project, and how does your character fit into the storyline? 

At first, I knew very little about what the project was. I stepped into my briefing post my audition, and Sahil sir and Varun sir were leading the project as Director & Asst. The Director made a great effort to explain to me how fun the storyline is, and post that, there was no turning back. For me, the biggest reason to do it was that the role I was playing was something I hadn't played before. Being a 'Bad Boy' who feels like he's the best with his confidence off the roof is not me, so taking on the role was very exciting for me! My Character, Gaurav, is the Principal's son who goes from Mumbai to Delhi, and being a topper in Mumbai makes him feel like he's the best everywhere. While this doesn't sit well with Stuti, who's the School topper in Delhi, there is also a complication of Teenage crushes and how the group goes through all emotions and friendships throughout the series!

You've built a significant following in the fitness and skincare niche on Instagram. How do you think your expertise in these areas contributes to your portrayal of characters on screen? 

Being on Instagram gave me a confidence boost that I could face the camera and freely talk about what I want. Usually, facing a camera for newcomers in the industry is a task, but for me, I was already comfortable with doing that; it just didn't feel like I was out of place. Obviously, the scale was much larger, but it felt similar to what I was doing!

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A post shared by Harsh Gandhi - Skincare, Fashion & Fitness (@harshhgandhii)

Could you share some insights into your role as the quintessential bad boy character in 'School Friends'? What challenges and opportunities did this role present for you? 

Every school has a bad boy, whether it's in a romantic situation or academic. Well, my character is in both situations! The series unfolds into a situational drama that tests different dynamics of the friendship group and how I come into the picture. The role came to me 3 days before the shoot was scheduled, so it was a steep learning curve to get to know the characters and the friend group dynamic in a short span of time, and since there was a lot of pressure, everyone worked super hard for this!

You also have a YouTube series called 'On the Road with Harsh.' How has creating content for YouTube compared to acting in a web series? Do you find any similarities between the two creative processes? 

In comparison, a lot of things remained the same in terms of the preparation. Everything had to be done before the actual shoot, and sometimes, we had to roll with spontaneous ideas. While the acting role and YouTube demand a lot of preparation, the risk on the series side was much higher than a podcast video on YouTube.

What do you think sets this series apart from other web content, and why should viewers tune in to watch it? 

This series is the perfect representation of how school friendships are – from the fights to supporting your friends with their crushes, to little jealousy and the rollercoaster of emotions through it all! It's nostalgic for people who've been through that and also relevant for students going through it. So, it's a full package of entertainment that the viewers shouldn't miss at any cost!

Photo Credit: Harsh Gandhi

With your online presence and fan base, how do you balance your commitment to your followers while diving into the demands of acting and content creation?

Just time management. This time, while acting for the series, I was still able to push some content out. Not at the pace I used to, but I still made that happen by making a schedule of my shoot dates. Every break was utilized either in shooting and editing content or in working on my dialogues for the series. This worked for me this time, but I'm sure next time I'll be able to do much better in balancing both worlds simultaneously!

How do you see your career evolving from this point onward, given your successful entry into acting? Are there specific types of roles or genres you're interested in exploring?

I don't want to limit myself to a specific genre or role. I'm new to this, and this is the best time to explore my range and then maybe narrow it down. But for now, I'm open to experimentation. While shooting the series, I realized that this definitely wasn't going to be my last gig in acting and that I liked it too much to not do this again!

Fitness, content creation, and acting require undivided attention, how do you manage to work on all aspects? What motivates you to give your best in all departments? 

Honestly, while shooting the series, I did get a bit distracted from my content. But this just laid a blueprint for what I can do better next time and how I can utilize the time optimally to work on all aspects. I used to always look at successful people with hundreds of things to do in a day, and since then, I've always imagined myself doing more. So, when I get a chance to juggle multiple things, I'll jump headfirst!

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A post shared by Harsh Gandhi - Skincare, Fashion & Fitness (@harshhgandhii)

Lastly, could you give us a glimpse into your journey from being an influencer to now stepping into the world of acting? What advice would you give to aspiring content creators looking to venture into new creative territories? 

Honestly, since this is my first rodeo, I'm not qualified enough to advise others. But I'd like to say that this opportunity presented itself to me, and I worked hard to acquire it. So, if things are not looking up for you right now, don't worry, there are better things in store for everyone!

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