Harshaali Malhotra
Harshaali plays a Pakistani girl who strays into India. That she cannot speak complicates matters further.
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Personal details
Born: 3 June 2008.
Education: In July 2015, when Bajrangi Bhaijaan was released, Harshaali had entered Grade Two at school.
School: Seven Square Academy, Mumbai
Mother: Kajal Malhotra
Modelling career
Harshaali was just over four and a half years old when she went to a mall with her mother Kajal Malhotra. The shop Mom & Me was conducting a photo shoot with children. Harshaali got herself photographed for the campaign and won an award. That is how her career as a child model for print and TV advertisements began.
TV serials followed.
As will be seen from the list of Harshaali’s modelling and TV assignments on this page, very quickly she bagged a large number of assignments.
Hectic shooting took a toll on little Harshaali’s health and she developed a fever. Her mother Kajal started refusing all fresh assignments that came Harshaali’s way, including a film in which she was to enact the childhood portion of the Katrina Kaif character.
Harshaali was unaware of this. She thought that acting and modelling assignments had simply dried up. She asked her mother, ‘Am I not doing well enough during my shoots? Why are no fresh offers coming my way?’
That was Kajal Malhotra’s cue to restart daughter Harshaali’s career.
Happily, Harshaali’s school grades were not suffering. She missed only seven days of school while shooting for Bajrangi Bhaijaan (Onkar Kulkarni, Daily Bhaskar and Indian Express)
Cinema
Kajal Malhotra sought an appointment with casting director Mukesh Chhabra and introduced Harshaali to him. A few months later he called, saying that a film unit wanted to test Harshaali’s body language. This was followed by a meeting with Salman Khan himself. It was thus that Harshaali bagged the role of Shahida in Bajrangi Bhaijaan. (Onkar Kulkarni, Daily Bhaskar)
Shooting for Bajrangi Bhaijaan
Harshaali was quite the confident professional. Whenever she did not understand a scene she would go up to director Kabir Khan and ask him, rather than ask her mother to help her out or interpret the scene for her.
When Salman Khan noticed that Harshaali disliked food that was chilli hot, he would guide her to milder food available on the sets. He would play table tennis with her, take her on rides on an ATV (All Terrain Vehicle), play games with her on the cellphone and take her to his Karjat home for home food. She would sit on Kabir Khan’s lap and play Barbie games. However, ‘Kareena aunty was busy with shoot so [Harshaali] did not get time to play games with her. (PTI)
Distinguishing between fiction and reality was difficult for the then six-year-old.
Harshaali would start crying whenever she saw Salman fighting or getting emotional in the film. ‘I used to cry when he (Salman) did action scenes. Even when Salman uncle shot emotional scenes, I used to feel bad. Even I cried when Salman uncle cried.’
Whenever there was action or any high-pitched sound, Harshaali would get scared. But Salman (Khan) and Kabir (Khan) would make special efforts to ensure that she interacts with other co-stars by playing, after which she became comfortable during the shoot. (Indian Express)
Career plans
Kajal Malhotra wants daughter Harshaali to act as a child artiste till she enters Class 6, concentrate on her studies till she clears the Class 12 Board examinations and then resume acting, this time as a leading lady.
Filmography
By the time she was six Harshaali was already a veteran…
Television serials
Laut Aao Trisha (Life OK) (she plays the kid sister of Trisha Swaika and the daughter of Bhagyashree Patwardhan)
Qubool Hai, a daily soap
Savdhaaan India
TV commercials
Apollo
AVR Shubhmahal Jeweller (Chennai)
Fair & Lovely TVC with actress Yami Gautam
Horlicks foodles
Hyundai Xcent
Mahindra Mom & Me (age 5)
Nautinati
Odonil TVC with. Madhuri Dixit Nene
Pears soap
Petals (age 5)
Sony Handycam (age 4 years and 8 months)
Tirupati oil
Vardhaman Knitwear (at age 5 years and 1 month)
Zoom body warmer (at age 5)
Print advertisements
Haier Appliances
Tirupati oil
HDFC
