Harsh Varrdhan Kapoor Reflects on Rejection for ‘Life of Pi’ Due to His Looks

In a recently resurfaced video, actor Harsh Varrdhan Kapoor, son of renowned actor Anil Kapoor, shared a surprising anecdote about his audition for the 2012 film, ‘Life of Pi’. Harsh Varrdhan revealed that he was rejected for the role of Pi Patel because the filmmakers deemed him “too good-looking” for the part.

In the throwback clip, which has gone viral on Reddit, Harsh Varrdhan recounted, “I had a good audition for ‘Life of Pi’. I didn’t get the role because they wrote back saying, ‘He’s too good-looking to play Pi’. Because Pi is a character from Pondicherry, from the South. I am more urban, that’s what they said.”

The 2012 adventure-fantasy film, directed by Ang Lee, starred Suraj Sharma and the late Irrfan Khan. It tells the story of two survivors of a shipwreck who are stranded in the Pacific Ocean for 227 days. The movie, based on Yann Martel’s book of the same name, went on to win four Oscars.

Harsh Varrdhan Kapoor made his Bollywood debut with the 2016 film ‘Mirzya’, alongside Saiyami Kher. He has since appeared in films such as ‘Bhavesh Joshi Superhero’ and ‘Thar’.

While his statement has sparked varied reactions on social media, it highlights the unique challenges actors face in the casting process.