He made his film debut in
Mandi directed by
Shyam Benegal in 1983. From 1994 to 2008, Patel worked with the Indian theatre director
Satyadev Dubey. In 1995, he joined the
Indian National Theatre and appeared in the play
Neela Kamra. His repertoire has included classical and modern Indian plays as well as plays by Western writers, e.g.,
Pinter's
The Caretaker,
Sartre's
No Exit,
Camus'
Cross Purpose,
Ionesco's
The Lesson, and
Mrozek's
Vatzlav. In the spring of 2007, Patel took the lead role of Eeshwar Dutt in
Rafta, Rafta..., a comedy written by
Ayub Khan-Din and directed by
Nicholas Hytner at the
National Theatre in London to critical acclaim and sellout audiences. His credits include
The Buddha of Suburbia,
China Gate,
Mr India and
Run Fatboy Run. In 2009 he appeared in
Coronation Street playing the role of Umed,
Dev Alahan's uncle. Patel also appeared in
Mr Stink,
Gangsta Granny,
The Boy in the Dress and
Billionaire Boy, the television film adaptations of children's books by
David Walliams. He plays shopkeeper Raj in all the films, although they are set in different places. His acting career has taken him all over India, and he has performed in the United Kingdom and abroad, in the United States and
Dubai among other countries. Patel is a life member of the
Cine & TV Artists Association of India. He is well known for his catchphrase "gayee bhains paanee mein" (the buffalo entered the water), in the movie
Mr. India. Additionally, he garnered international recognition after starring in
Marvel Studios'
Eternals as Karun. When interviewed regarding the film, Harish admitted to never watching a Marvel film before or even seeing
Angelina Jolie or
Salma Hayek films before. ==Filmography==