Hrithik: "I gave 'Aap Mujhe Ache Lagne Lage' 200 percent…you get what you deserve, maybe I should have put in 300 percent. So now I know I have to put in that much more for my next - 'Na Tum Jano Na Hum".
MADHUREETA MUKHERJEE

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Some call him phenomena, some call him a born super-star, and still others call him a one-time wonder. But for Hrithik does this battle of words and ambiguous labels matter? Does a star have to shine and dazzle with the same intensity through for its entire life span? Obviously not. Even they have their moments of brilliance and their moments of blur. Nights of blinding shimmer and nights of flickering spark. Nonetheless, they are still called stars and that's what they will always be. That's Hrithik Roshan for you. He waits with starry eyes for to watch the magic that 'Na Tum Jano Na Hum' strikes onscreen. He's vested his talent, hard work and dreams in to this one…now all he can do is 'leave the rest to god…'

'Na Tum Jano Na Hum' is the product of a debutant director, Arjun Sablok, so didn't you have any apprehensions while doing the movie?

Hrithik: "The movie is exactly what I had heard in the scrip stage. The way I reacted to the script in print, I have reacted the same way while enacting it onscreen. So I think Arjun has done complete justice to the script visually, he's expressed it very well."

"I should have completed one film from start to finish and then started the next one. At the end of it…both the movies were completed around the same time. So that way…somewhere I am to blame for this…but I guess you learn from your mistakes."

Don't you think two releases happening back to back, reduces the impact of both the movies as well as the actor?

Hrithik: "Well, I agree it is not the best way to do things. If I had my way I would avoid two of my movies releasing in such a short span of time…but sometimes you can't control everything…you just have to leave it to God! Probably I am to blame for this, for I did not foresee this happening…didn't think 'Aap Mujhe Ache Lagne Lage' would be delayed, with every schedule there were some loose ends left to be completed. Also as an actor to be fair to both these projects I was fighting to distribute my dates equally and now when I think retrospectively, it wasn't the best thing to do, as I should have completed one film from start to finish and then started the next one. At the end of it…both the movies were completed around the same time. So that way…somewhere I am to blame for this…but I guess you learn from your mistakes."

Considering Arjun Sablok was an actor himself at some point, did that make it easier to work with an actor-turned-director?

Hrithik: "Ha! Ha! Ha! Now that you tell me I remember that. I never really thought of him being an actor, till you asked me this question…but somewhere probably it does make sense, he did make my job very comfortable. Guess he understands the difficulties that an actor has to deal with and that's why he's directed the movie with so much of confidence."

"When I heard the script of 'Na Tum Jano Na Hum', I immediately reacted to it and when we reached the end of it, I had tears in my eyes. That stirred me enough to instantly say - 'yes' to the film."

What made you accept a film that was being directed by a debutant director?

Hrithik: "Script…just the script. When I heard the script I immediately reacted to it and when we reached the end of it, I had tears in my eyes. That stirred me enough to instantly say - 'yes' to the film."

So it was the originality of the script that attracted your interest?

Hrithik: "When I hear a script or a subject, I just react to it as a story; I don't try and see whether it will work a year from now, or scrutinize and ponder over more such details. These things are not in my hands; I simply react to it with my heart. The story moved me, touched me and that was all it took to convince

myself that I want to be a part of this."

"My character in this film is not a character that will stand out as a character, he is a very simple man and I've played that. This role probably flashes some nuances of my character in 'K3G' as Rohan."

Is your role in 'Na Tum Jano Na Hum' different from the roles you've done so

far?

Hrithik: "My character in this film is not a character that will stand out as a character, he is a very simple man and I've played that. This role probably flashes some nuances of my character in 'K3G' as Rohan. Basically the film - Na Tum Jano Na Hum', stands out by itself, it's the technique with which the story weaves the characters and way the story moves with these characters, that marks the uniqueness of this film."

It seems your character in this film displays a lot of comic elements, how comfortable are you enacting the humorous side of your character?

Hrithik: "I'm not really portraying a comic character, but yes there are many fun moments in the film. I'm very comfortable doing comedy, in fact I love doing such roles."

Rumours doing the rounds were that certain portions of the film has been re-shot, in fact the buzzword was that your father Rakesh Roshan was unhappy with some scenes and he wanted that it be shot. How far is this true?

Hrithik: "That's rubbish, absolutely rubbish. Not a single frame of the film has been re-shot."

What do you think will work in this movie…which aspect of this movie will strike

the chord with the audiences?

Hrithik: "I think the fact that most of us grown-ups have a child in us who wants to dream, wants to believe in the magic of love, who believe that miracles do happen…and somewhere we suppress that emotion as we are conditioned in to a different, rather practical framework by society. We compel ourselves to be grown-ups and we gradually lose the child in us. This film is about these two characters who dare to dream, who are complete dreamers and somehow they find each other…and gradually move in to a different world from there. This reality and sensitivity of life and love is what will strike the right chord with the audiences."

"In 'Kaho Na Pyaar Hai' my challenge was to make a mark and create a space for myself…and I did that. Now my challenges have changed, being expected to create that magic again is new inspiring challenge all over again."

Do you think every Hrithik Roshan starrer will be compared to the success of 'Kaho Na Pyaar Hai'?

Hrithik: "Yes, it is a disadvantage to a certain extent…the challenge is to turn that in my favour. In 'Kaho Na Pyaar Hai' my challenge was to make a mark and create a space for myself…and I did that. Now my challenges have changed, being expected to create that magic again is new inspiring challenge all over again."

"After, 'Aap Mujhe Ache Lagne Lage' flopped at the box-office, it was very heartening to read the way people reacted, for they were being especially nice to me. There was a paper that gave one star to the film and said that the star was for Hrithik, I have never been praised so much even for 'Kaho Na Pyaar Hai'."

After 'Kaho Na Pyaar Hai' the media made you a star over-night and the same media also called you a one-time wonder the moment your movies weren't faring well at the box-office. How does that make you feel?

Hrithik: "No, in fact after, 'Aap Mujhe Ache Lagne Lage' flopped at the box-office, it was very heartening to read the way people reacted, for they were being especially nice to me. There was a paper that gave one star to the film and said that the

star was for Hrithik, I have never been praised so much even for 'Kaho Na Pyaar Hai'. Media has called me so many things…a one time wonder, some referred to me as Kumar Gaurav, but the same media also called me a phenomena, God…all kinds of things have been pinned on my head. I did not believe that…so why should I

believe this."

"In the first few schedules I would help out Esha with her scenes…I would think probably she can do it like this, like that. In matter of time I realised I'm being such a fool, cause the way she was performing, it was much better than what I

had thought of."

How was it working with Esha?

Hrithik: "She's going to pleasantly shock a lot of people in this film. She has done a fantastic job. I haven't seen her first film…what I've seen in this film is brilliant. In the first few schedules I used to help her out…I would think probably she can do it like this, like that, this way would be better…so I would go up to her and tell her. Then in matter of time I realised I'm being such a fool, cause the way she was performing, it was much better than what I had thought of. So she took my piece of advice and went much higher with it. So finally I just shut up…cause I knew Esha was sure of what she's doing. I was really very impressed by her."

To what extent has the 'Aap Mujhe Ache Lagne Lage' debacle, affected you personally and your popularity in the film circuit?

Hrithik: "It is quite evident from the print splash and whatever I've read that people have liked my work, so as an actor I've not failed and let down the audiences." Now if we consider that an actor's job is only to act, and the music, the promos of the film is not exactly within his scheme of things, in that regard I have done my job well and as long as people believe in that, I'm happy and it should not affect me in any way."

Well, in that case, doesn't the box-office collections affect you?

Hrithik: "It saddens you, because you've worked very hard on the film, in my capacity I worked very very hard. I gave the film 200 percent. Well, you get what you deserve, maybe I should have put in 300 percent. That how I look at it…I worked very hard, but guess not hard enough. So now I know I have to put in that much more for my next".

"Some people did not know when Aap Mujhe Ache Lagne Lage' was releasing; even the promos were not received very well."

Nowadays you can't just make a good film and be rest assured it will do well. A film needs complete well-planned package of promotion and advertising. Even 'Na Tum Jano Na Hum' is so extensively promoted, do you think that lack of enough promotion affected the success of 'Aap Mujhe Ache Lagne Lage'?

Hrithik: ""Probably, I'm not the best judge to comment on that but I could attribute that as one of the factors. Some people did not know when it was releasing; even the promos were not received very well. Well, there are many things that can be held responsible for the poor box-office collections, but it is difficult to pin-point and emphasise on one thing and claim - Yes, that was the reason. The bottom-line is, the film gets what it deserves to get."

You've always had a mixed bag of films, from a Subhash Ghai, Vinod Chopra film to first timers like Arjun Sablok and Kunal Kohli. Was this a charted out career plan that you made for yourself?

Hrithik: "There's absolutely no strategy behind all of this. I just accepted the offers that I instinctively believed were right for me. Some were right moves, some were wrong."