Source: Filmfare Magazine; May 2005 Issue
Typed By: Vanita; HrithikRules.com
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“I’m prepared for sleepless nights”, announces Hrithik Roshan. He’s smiling but I can’t miss the edge in his voice. It’s been quite some time now since I have caught that look in Duggu’s eyes- it’s the look I saw last when he was preparing for Koi Mil Gaya. After months of free floating- post KMG, Hrithik Roshan is back in action…and it suits him. when I tell him so, he grins “Yeah, I’m rarin’ to go.”
Hrithik’s clearly hungry for work, itching to sink his teeth into a good part. His insistence of waiting for the right role and movie had left him with no films on hand for more than a year but the wait seems to have paid off, with the actor taking on 2 major films in quick succession-dad Rakesh Roshan’s Krrish (the sequel to KMG) and Yash Raj Film’s Dhoom II with director Sanjay Gandhvi. Also being talked about (Though there is no confirmation from either of the side now) is a film on the young Emperor Akbar with director Ashutosh Gowarikar. We also hear he’s been talking to Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Suddenly everything’s fallen into place.
Leaning back on a comfortably oversized soft at home, Hrithik admits, “I don’t know how things worked out this way. Maybe it’s destiny. But after a yearlong break I look on this as the start of my second innings in films. In my last five years in the industry I have earned a lot of awards as well as rewards. But that chapter is over. You can say Part II of my career starts with two Part II’s.
After the wait between Part I and Part II, coupled with his ‘Perfectionist’ tag has had people christening him Aamir Khan II as well. But the young actor is not entirely comfortable with that label. “I don’t think that’s an intelligent comparison because Aamir’s choice of films is backed by much more intelligence and many more years of experience. Whereas I got with my instincts,” he protests. A pause, then he points out,” When Aamir was my age, he was doing all kinds of films. He became choosy much later in his career. So I don’t think my graph is the same as his.”
“Yes- I am choosy- but that’s just the way I work. My decision to pick a film is based on
a) Whether it excites me and gives me enough motivation to give it my best and
b) If I think I have the talent to pull off the character.
I have absolutely no problems telling the director to cast another actor.” (Though Hrithik won’t admit it, he’s said to have refused Hum Tum because he thought Saif would fit the role perfectly.)
“Look, in our industry, everyone wants to work with everyone. But it’s only after the script is ready that one can try to fit in the faces. Its not that one actor is better than the other. What matters the most is that the face chosen should suit the character.”
So what made him pick Dhoom II? “Playing a negative character offers a different kind of excitement, especially when you have played hero for years,” he tells me. “Not only is my role very interesting, I’ll be working with Aishwarya Rai for the first time. She plays my love interest in the movie.” Tell us more, I prod him. But its no go,“ Hey I am not going to reveal anything more but I promise you, Dhoom II will be exciting, entertaining and charming,” Declares Roshan Jr with a broad smile.
As for the film with Ashutosh Gowarikar, he is even more circumspect. He says carefully and in a non-cordial manner, “I don’t want to talk about anything till its official.”
Currently, though Hrithik is completely absorbed with Krrish. For those who came in later, this sequel to KMG will have Hrithik play the son of Rohit and Nisha (the character played by him and Preity Zinta). Jadoo, the alien, has bestowed the lad with extraordinary powers and the buzz is like Hrithik will play a Superman-like character. “ Krrish is the story of a boy with superpowers, somewhat on the lines of a comic book hero,” is how he puts it.
Krrish will see Hrithik paired for the first time with Priyanka Chopra, the heroine that every filmmaker seems to want to sign post Aitraaz. However, Hrithik echoes what his father has always maintained: “We signed Priyanka before we saw Aitraaz. Infact I saw the film for the first time at the premiere and she really lived up to the expectations in it. We would’ve been worried if she wasn’t good in the film. In a sense, I think its not ethical to judge another actor, when you are also an actor, but I must say I think she is perfect for my fathers film.”
And what of Aishwarya Rai, his leading lady in Dhoom II?
Rumors are that Rakesh Roshan first approached her for the role though the filmmaker himself denies it. Hrithik’s reply is diplomatic: “Ash is an international face; who would not want her in their film? I’m sure my father must have gone to all the faces in the industry. But Priyanka is the one who suited the role.”
Shooting for Krrish has commenced in Kulu-Manali but the movie has been talked about long before it mounted the sets. Expectations are already zooming but Hrithik takes them in his stride: “Dad and I have two mega-hits behind us, that’s only to be expected.” On the other hand, he is also aware about the murmurs about whether sequels work in India. “People here think sequels don’t work in Hindi Cinema but that doesn’t really bother us. When we were working on KMG, they said a film with an alien wouldn’t work too” he shrugs.
His confidence in his father as a filmmaker and in their collaboration is unmistakable. And understandable too, considering father and son share a great professional chemistry that has come up trumps each time. Hrithik puts it down to no-holds barred honesty. “I’ve always been free to be completely honest with my father. I never hold back when I talk to dad. That’s why the interaction between us is so good. Besides, it’s not like I talk to him only when he asks me a question. If I don’t like something I can tell him without worrying about it. If I don’t like a scene, I can not only tell him so but offer suggestions too.
“But if I were to make any comments while working with other directors, they’d probably turn around and say, ‘Hrithik ka dimag kharab ho gaya hai. Apne aap ko na jane kya samajhne laga hai.’ (Hrithik has lost his head. God know what he thinks of himself.) But I genuinely feel there’s no place for egos on the sets. All members of a creative team should be allowed to air their views, so long as you don’t sound like your dictating or judging others. I think I can express my feelings to someone without hurting someone’s ego.”
Back to Krrish. As is well known, Hrithik underwent some pretty strenuous training and martial arts and ‘wire work’ action in Hong Kong and Shanghai. He shows me his right thumb and his small toe and he tells me, “See, I broke two little bones and pulled a muscle in my left leg during my training. The training was very strenuous because of the kind of wirework we’ve planned for the film usually requires three-four years of training. I’ve completed my training in 25 days. But my trainer Tony Ching says I am 10 times quicker than his other students and is pretty confident that I can pull it off.” Going by the hype already surrounding Krrish, Tony Ching is not the only one who thinks so.