Source: TOI
Date: November 18, 2010
In Delhi on Tuesday, actor Hrithik Roshan deftly fielded questions on his upcoming movie Guzaarish, and the various controversies surrounding it. Here are excerpts from the interview :
On meeting a quadriplegic in preparation for his role in Guzaarish :
Researching for any movie role is a huge responsibility for the actor. His biggest ammunition is information. Initially, when I went to meet a quadriplegic, I was sceptical and awkward, as I thought he would need cheering up. However in the six hours I spent with him, he made me smile and laugh instead.
On Guzaarish being a dark, intense movie :
Guzaarish may be dark and tragic but the magic of the movie is that it makes you smile in the end. It is the happiest character I've played.
On comparison with his earlier superhero movies like Krrish :
Ethan (his character in the movie) is the biggest superhero. The power he has is greater than any other superpower, the power to make people smile.
On the challenging nature of the role :
We artists are all slaves to our vision. I consider myself a labourer, labouring to execute the vision in my mind. Playing the role was like a deep, dark journey which uplifted me towards the end. Trying to discuss the journey of Guzaarish is like attempting to describe the beauty of nature. Imposssible.
On learning magic for the movie :
Practice make perfect. It took me three to four weeks to master the magic shown in Guzaarish. And this was not the only training I had. I had to pick up some difficult jazz moves as well.
On the experience of working with Sanjay Leela Bhansali :
Unlike other directors, Bhansali gave me my freedom as an actor. He just let me fly. We'd shoot and during the process we'd discover what I'd thought of a particular shot, instead of discussing a scene beforehand. Bhansali and I share the same passion and energy, which was infectious on the sets. We were both equally charged.
On his film being inspired from a Spanish movie :
Guzaarish is completely original. I've seen the Spanish movie and the only commonality between the two is that they're both based on a quadriplegic person. The script of Guzaarish is nothing like anything I'd seen before, which is what propelled me to say yes to Bhansali.
On the famous smoking scene controversy :
In the scene concerned, Aishwarya smokes than immediately starts coughing, which sends across an anti-smoking message. I cannot comment beyond this, only the director can do that.
On what Guzaarish he'd like to make of Aishwarya Rai :
I don't believe in requesting or asking. If you haven't got what you want, it simply means you have to work harder for it. I haven't pleaded ever in my life ... so there is no Guzaarish I have to make of Aishwarya or anybody else.