Source: YT
Papa Roshan reveals little-known facts about his son ...
Did he ever envisage that his son would become such a big star?
"How can anyone predict such a thing? One can only hope for it," says Rakesh Roshan, who was regarded a talented actor in his days, and is behind many box office hits. But he admits that when Hrithik was born, like any other father, he wanted his son to be well-educated and be a good human being.
Didn't he have any star ambitions for Hrithik?
"No, not really. We thought, perhaps, in graphics because he has an artistic temperament," says the father. Of course, Hrithik was the lucky mascot for all the family productions. That and the letter K. Apart from KNPH, KMG, there is long 'K' list - Khoon Bhari Maang, Kaam Chor Khudgarz.... One cannot but help notice a sense of pride when the father says, "Hrithik was a brilliant student. He was always good at studies. He did his B Com."
But when the son didn't want to go abroad for studies and said that he wanted to become an actor, the father wasn't disappointed.
"It was his decision," he says. The father then did everything in his power to launch his son into stardom. And what a launch it was! He sought and found a subject to suit Hrithik's personality. He also found a fresh face - Amisha Patel - to star as the female lead.
Did he expect his son's debut film to be such a big success?
"As a producer and director, I could only try to make a good film," he says. "But I was sure that people would appreciate him as a new-comer. I knew his talent would be appreciated." But Hrithik didn't have it that easy. The father wanted the son to learn the ropes of the business first. "Once he decided not to go abroad for studies, he joined me as an assistant director for five years," says Rakesh Roshan. "I could see his involvement in all the departments. He worked very hard and sincerely. He didn't take any privileges as my son. He wouldn't even get into my car to go to the studio. He would take a bus to and from work."
But then, he had noticed this trait in his son from childhood.
"He was not only very good at studies, but he was good at whatever he decided to do. He picked up things fast. But he did not compete with anyone." Hrithik is known in the business as a reserved and extremely simple person. Was he like this as a youngster? "He was an introvert," admits the father. "He kept to himself. He always thought twice before he spoke. That was because, from childhood, he had the habit of not hurting anybody's feelings. He has always been very sensitive to other people's feelings."
These were the traits that made Hrithik's parents wonder if their sensitive son would survive in the cut-throat world of films.
"That's why we didn't want him to join films, because we felt that the film industry was not made for him. But what can we do? It was written in his destiny to be an actor ... destined to be a a star, I suppose," says the father.
And talking about his simplicity he says,
"He is my only son and he has a sister. But he was not a spoilt child. We brought him up in a very simple manner. We are basically very simple people, though we belong to the film world and have a certain status in the film industry. We live like any other normal family. Even now he lives with us."
The father helped Hrithik bring out this childlike innocence in KMG, to portray the character of Rohit.
"Right from the beginning, when I narrated the story, he understood the character and what was wanted," says the father. "He is a very intelligent boy. Three days before every shooting schedule, he'd check into a hotel and stay there for three days all alone ... to get into the character. He would cut himself off from the world."
Hrithik was able to get not only the facial expressions, but also the body language of a mentally challenged person, just right.
"It has something to with his childhood. He was like that as a child. No, not retarded, but there was something childlike and innocent about him ... a person who was extremely simple at heart ... a person who loved playing with toys all by himself. He loved playing with dinky cars. He was a loner. He was very good at cycling. In fact, he has brought out all these qualities from his childhood to the role of Rohit."
The father sees traces of that childlike simplicity in his son even now.
"He has not been drawn into the glamorous side of films," he says. "Even to this day, he is the same person. Stardom has not changed him ... not affected him because he knows that stardom is temporary." And why the pet name Duggu? "My pet name is Guddu," says Rakesh. "So, to rhyme with that!"