Source: Screen
MUMBAI: Millions of adoring fans will get a peek at the rise to stardom of Bollywood heartthrob Hrithik Roshan in a TV series to be aired next month that will include clips of him as a child dancer and actor.
"Hrithik - The Man Behind The Star", a two-part 90-minute film on the making of the screen idol, will be aired by Sony Entertainment Television on April 16 and April 23. The film is about Roshan's life from his childhood to the prestigious Filmfare's Bollywood award he won this year for his blockbuster debut film, "Kaho Na Pyar Hai" (Say You Love Me).
"Hrithik was not an overnight success. He had to really struggle," producer Farah Khan who is also Roshan's sister-in-law told a news conference announcing the series.
Although Roshan's father was a big actor and director in Bollywood, "he's never had everything on a platter," she said.
Home videos showing Hrithik dancing at friends' birthday parties are in the programme. There are also clips of Roshan as a child dancing in father Rakesh Roshan's films "Aap ke Deewane" (Your Admirer) and "Asha" (Hope), and acting in "Bhagwan Dada" (God Man), made by his film-maker grandfather J. Om Prakash.
"He was the only star son in the film industry who was always broke," said Khan, referring to his father's desire to make sure his son was not spoiled by money.
Khan said many do not know that Roshan used to stammer and was a shy person. "Thanks to his father's hard discipline, he was put through the grind of film work," said Khan.
He honed his acting and dancing skills and worked on his physique in gyms to create a macho image of a Hindi film hero.
"He had to sweep the floor during shooting schedules and give tea to the unit people," Khan said of Roshan's days while he was learning his craft in film studios. After a screen test of him waking up to an alarm bell ringing, his father cast him in "Kaho Na Pyar Hai" which turned out to be a mega box office hit.
"I was just shocked at his decision," Hrithik Roshan said in the programme.