Source: Mumbai Mirror
By: Vickey Lalwani
Date: Jul 23, 2014
An accident, a surgery and a separation, Bang Bang director Siddharth Anand talks about Hrithik Roshan's troubles.
How did the accident happen?
It was not an accident or Hrithik would have been hospitalised immediately. But we continued shooting, moving from Thailand to Greece. He had to be launched 30 metres into the air on a jet spray and land in water. We don't know if it was the impact of water which caused the injury. The doctors told him that it cannot be attributed to a specific cause. He himself told me that he had banged his head against a wall while shooting Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai. It could even have been something he had since birth but which got aggravated now.
Did you visit him while he was in the hospital?
I was not in India then. But he sent me a text: Don't worry, everything is going to be better than what it is now.
Shouldn't body doubles be used for dangerous stunts?
Isn't a duplicate's life equally important? I know many stuntmen who've died while working on a film. I'm pained by our pathetic infrastructure. In other countries, a chopper arrives in 10 minutes to fly the injured to a hospital but a life is not valued in India.
What was the mood like when Hrithik returned to the sets?
Most of the film was yet to be shot when he returned. We were so nervous we kept asking him if he was sure he wanted to go full-throttle. Any other actor would have asked for a double. But this man will do anything for a film. He has done jaw-dropping stunts. We've gone beyond Knight And Day. If the Tom Cruise-Cameron Diaz film had a sequel, it would try to match up to Bang Bang.
Was he distracted? His personal life too had run into stormy weather...
He has gone through a lot of pain, I'm sure he is still going through a lot. But he never let it show, he knew it would affect the team's morale. No actor has suffered as much while shooting for a film. Bang Bang is easily Hrithik's toughest film.
How did he come on board?
I bumped into him at Karan Johar's 40th birthday party and told him I had something for him. He said "Call me tomorrow." That's a common line you hear, so I did not call him. I messaged him after eight months. The next minute, his number was flashing on my phone.
Tongues are wagging that your buddy Bipasha Basu formalised her relationship with Harman Baweja.
I'm in the US but if this is true, I'm happy for them.
Back to Hrithik. Rumours were rife that Katrina Kaif and he got close on your set...
During Anjaana Anjaani, Ranbir (Kapoor) was linked with Priyanka (Chopra), during Salaam Namaste Saif (Ali Khan) with Preity Zinta. Such stories are usual for my stars.