Source: Times
Koi Mil Gaya did it for Hrithik Roshan. Kal Ho Naa Ho buoyed Preity Zinta’s ratings in the marquee. Both films vaulted them to becoming the prince and the showgirl of Bollywood. Jitesh Pillai and Madhureeta Mukherjee toast the season’s hottest flavours.
Okay, so no one’s saying main Hrithik Roshan banna chaahta hoon, but good guys finish first. The story so far: Following his breakthrough debut with Kaho Naa… Pyar Hai, he became one of Bollywood’s hottest properties and spent most of the year 2000 being lauded as everything from the heir apparent to the Sexiest Man Alive. So far, so good. Kaho Naa… Pyar Hai, apart from revolutionising box office trends, took the wind out of the sails of all the A-line actors. If a shadow crossed the face of the reigning supernovas, they tried their best to camouflage it. With little or no success. KNPH and the Roshan swept away every existing award in the year 2001. Perhaps in an unprecedented move, he won the Filmfare Sensational Debut Award and the Best Actor Award simultaneously. Leaving all the other contenders (Abhishek Bachchan included) looking askance. Prime time was his. With looks that inspired countless magazine covers, Internet shrines and estrogen surges, Hrithik Roshan’s very name inspired drooling platitudes.
Every move he made was prime time news. If he went to restaurants, there was pandemonium. His fastidiousness became legendary. Right from choosing his protein drink or the transparencies of a glossy photo-shoot, Roshan Jr hemmed, hawed, fussed and fretted. And everyone took it with good humour. He was, after all, the year’s tutti-fruity flavour.
But good looks and good luck hath a fall. The box-office and Roshan had an estrangement. And Hrithik Roshan became everyone’s favourite whipping boy. Slap. Slap. And then some more. Middling to indifferent films didn’t help either. Mission Kashmir and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham were successes at the turnstiles, but everyone chose to overlook that. He became the untouchable. Pilloried for Aap Mujhe Achhe Lagne Lage, Yaadein, Na Tum Jano Na Hum. Carping Cassandras even likened his rise and fall to the Kumar Gaurav fiasco. Finito.
And then there were the stories. Nudge nudge, wink wink. He’s become too big for his boots. His father’s gone crazy, demanding to see contracts of the other stars who feature in Cola contracts with his son. Better believe this, it was alleged that he actually said no to an animation film with a screen appearance time of over half an hour. Daddy dearest said no thank you. The smirks too appeared larger than life. To add serious insult to injury was his over-the-top delineation in Main Toh Prem Ki Deewani Hoon. A lugubrious film that clearly spelt bad news. In capital letters. The obituaries came out in a rush.
And the fall guy bided his time. He recalls, “I remember so many nasty things were written about me. But I blamed myself for my choice of films or whatever. No point in post-mortems or blaming one’s failings on the director,” he states, Zen-like.
And as he turns 30 next week (on Jan 10), clearly 2004 could be his annus mirabilis. The Roshans scored a double whammy again. Koi Mil Gaya. Blame it on the K factor. K for Kool. Braving all the ET rip off, Forrest Gump analogies, the Roshan waltzed all the way up the box office charts. As the somewhat autistic Rohit, Hrithik Roshan’s carefully calibrated performance became the toast of 2003. Perhaps the role was strangely prophetic, rich with metaphors. Rohit’s vanquish over the bad guys was in effect, Hrithik Roshan’s own story retold. The boy who stammered when faced with an examination, the boy who never won the Kylie Minogue look-alikes. And Rohit a.k.a. Hrithik braved all the critics, censure and catcalls and became superhero. Jaadu helped him in Koi Mil Gaya. His jaadu helped Koi Mil Gaya. Ascribe it to sheer synergy. And the good guy finished first. Lights, camera, celebration! Like that ditty from KMG, It’s magic.
Right at this moment, Hrithik Roshan is away at an undisclosed location holidaying, reaping the results of a hard day’s work. With wife Suzanne in tow. More often than not, movies are make-believe, movies are about fantasies. But sometimes, movies are also about real life. They are about overcoming your stammer and becoming a full-fledged orator at an awards night. Movies are about overcoming your demons and making your dreams come true in technicolour. They are about good guys finishing first.