Hrithik Roshan accepted his life’s first award for Best Debutant from Shah Rukh Khan whose very “feeling” and impromptu speech was the talk of the town that days and for days after.
Shah Rukh gave Hrithik his first award of the night and the gorgeous Rekha made the night even more unforgettable when she announced the winner of the Best Actor Award, saying in that husky voice that sent shivers up many spines, “It’s Duggu, my baby!” Hrithik thanked the audience by saying, "this award’s special, coming as it does for my very first film, Kaho Na Pyaar Hai. It feels specially good because I’ve won it before my peers in filmdom. But I don’t think it puts the performances of any of the leading actors to the shade. I’ve grown up watching them perform and with every fiber of my being I’ve always wished I could perform their roles just as well. So I owe this award to them. And to my family, who’ve given me their unconditional support. And to my wife Suzanne, for believing in me... As Dad says, filmmaking is teamwork, and he’s right. I couldn’t have won it but for the entire Kaho Na Pyaar Hai unit. Especially my co-star Amisha Patel." Rekha has seen the shy and ever smiling Hrithik grow up into a still shy, still smilin g superstar and once confided to a friend that if ever she had a son she’d like him to be just like the ever-lovable Duggu. That’s the magic of this young Roshan!