For 'Maaya', Harshvardhan Rane follows caveman's diet

Chennai: Don't be surprised if you see a leaner and extremely fit Harshvardhan Rane in his upcoming Telugu thriller 'Maaya'. He has achieved the perfect physique by following a caveman's diet.

"I'm following what is called a caveman's diet. I'm eating what basically cavemen used to eat - I eat only meat and vegetables on a daily basis. Will follow it till the completion of the film," Harsha told IANS.

"In 'Maaya', I'm going shirtless for the first time in my career. My producer requested me to take off my shirt in one of the scenes. I have been working extremely hard to flaunt a perfect body for the scene," he added.

He clarified he won't be sporting six-pack abs.

"I'm not going to have a six-pack abs. I think it's a luxury to have six-pack abs, but I don't think I can afford it yet. It's extremely tough and I think having it will be an achievement," said Harsha.

National Award winning filmmaker G. Neelakanta Reddy is directing 'Maaya'.

Harsha feels blessed to be working with him.

"I'm still a newcomer with just a few films, but I have already worked with filmmakers such as Ravi Babu, Sekhar Kammula and now Neelakanta sir. I think I'm extremely blessed," he added.

Harsha hopes that the viewers accept 'Maaya', about extra sensory perception.

"Nobody can assure whether a film will work or not, but having witnessed how some different Telugu films were received by the audience, I'm hoping my film will be appreciated too. I'm aware with a subject like this, there's risk involved, but that's why my producer is trying to make it a commercially viable product," said Rane.

He added Mahesh Babu's "1: Nenokkadine" encourages him to do offbeat movies.

"When a superstar like Mahesh Babu can experiment, what do I have to lose? In fact, watching them motivates actors like us and pushes us to be part of something fresh and creative. As an actor, I want to do something I will be remembered for. I think 'Maaya' is that kind of film," he added.

Produced by Madhura Sreedhar, the film also features Avantika, Sushma and Nandini Rai.