Source: Filmfare, June 2006
Scanned by: Sarah
Interview by: Jitesh Pillaai
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Some beautiful people have stories to tell. Some have movies to sell. But cover boy Hrithik Roshan has a bit of both. It’s disconcerting when men are so perfectly formed. It makes you want to whip them because it shows us mere mortals in poor light. Our ungainly figures and the lack of sartorial savvy become even more glaring apparent. Hair slightly long with a few flecks of brown, swathed in a body tight Armani T-shirt and jeans, it’s like watching the male version of Aishwarya Rai. It's as if he stepped out of soft glow transparencies. And may I also add that mercifully the comparisons with Rai end right there. The beautiful boulevards of Juhu lap up the heat of the sultry May Day. His triplex apartment, which seems straight out of an interiors magazine, offers cool solace. Liveried helps hover around noiselessly. Over chicken kebabs, dahi wadas, rajma chawal and Alphonso mangoes, Roshan Jr shows me videos he’s shot of junior, the two-month old Hrehaan. When Hrithik talks, he is a map of expressions. He stammers, he yammers and actually waits to hear what you have to say. There is no bluster, no posturing. Yes, he wants his movies to succeed; he is terribly insecure and still has a school boyish charm when he tells you that Krrish is only his 12th movie in six years. That's that then. Reproduced below are experts from an interview with the 32-yr old actor who is perhaps the finest star performer of his generation:
You like to work on one film at a time, you obsess too much, no?
I need to work on at least 80 percent of the film at one shot. Unfortunately, I fall into the category of actors who need to put in a lot of energy to get the desired results. I'm not as talented as I'm hard working. It’s a choice that I make because I have no other options. I have no right to judge anyone, but I doubt if there’s something called a natural actor. People are products of the film environment they were born into or results of hard work and of course their natural instincts in front of the camera. In any case, every actor should do, what’s best for him. Like Bill Cosby said, "I don’t know the way to success, but a sure way to failure is trying to please everybody." I realized I had to step back, find my own voice, and do projects that I wanted to act in. Today, I’m more comfortable with the person I am.
So what works best for you?
I look for characters which have a little of myself in them. Then of course you exaggerate and make it larger than life on screen. If I don’t find myself, then I know I’ll only end up hamming in them. I want to close my eyes and crumble when I see a few performances of mine. When the camera is switched on, all your hard work, research and agonizing must melt away. You just have to go for the kill then. Sometimes, it’s like an examination. Everything you’ve mugged up and studied just fades away. Then it’s only you and the paper. I’m not equipped to talk about acting, but sometimes I look on it that way…like an examination.
You are happy with Krrish? Do you ever look at yourself as a real life superhero?
There are too many notions flying around about Krrish. And I’m not foolish to draw parallels between a superhero and myself. The film isn’t about Spiderman of Superman. I think the teaser had such a strong impact that everyone jumped to his or her own conclusions. What makes Krrish special is the powers he’s endowed with. Its only in retrospect that you begin to see Krrish as a superhero. Since Krrish is a sequel to Koi…Mil Gaya, Rohit is Krrish’s father, so there are many similarities between the two. He’s just a very ordinary boy with extraordinary powers. In that sense he’s a bit abnormal, like Rohit was in Koi…Mil Gaya.
Is it easier working with your father now?
It always was. I can always say no to him, argue with him. Dad listens, that’s the best part. At the risk of sounding of immodest, when the history of Indian cinema is written, dad will be mentioned in golden letters. Look at his films, his range. Be it a reincarnation story, a trendy story, a sci-fi, he knows just how to tap the vibe. He is probably one of the few directors who are truly putting us on a global platform. I think making an effort is more important that accomplishing the result.
He isnt a big media favorite, NO?
His name doesn't figure on the list of current media favorites because he doesn't subscribe to their current notion of trendy. He doesn't need to dress up and hang out at parties to be one among the crowd. My father dosent play to the gallery in that sense.
He’s never mentioned in the trendy talk shows either. How come?
For some people having your names engraved in the chronicles of cinema as legends is far more important. These are men of vision. They are men of courage, made of a different mettle. My dad is one of those men. Being mentioned or not on Koffee with Karan just because he’s not part of the “cool” and “happening” brigade makes no difference to him. And I say this with utmost respect to the show and Karan who is a dear friend. But I think, I’ve made my point.
What about your personal goals and happiness?
Be it in my films or in life, I look for integrity. Integrity is a developed trait. A lot of people keep saying, "Just be yourself." It’s easier said than done though. At the risk or sounding incredibly boring and philosophical, I think 99 percent of the people don’t know how to gain access to the ‘I’- who am I? What am I doing? To crack the code, you have to watch every step, every move you make and only then can you access the real you. Life is divided between the thinkers and the doers. And to gain a perspective, you have to separate the two. Like you have to separate the mind, watch your thoughts, watch your actions. All this needs practice. And eventually you find yourself at peace. (Laughs out loud) Hey, hope I’m not sounding crazy.
No you’re not, go on. So are you at peace with yourself finally?
Yes and I’ve never meant it as much as I do now. When I started watching and analyzing what I was doing, I became more aware, I’ve understood how much ego plays a part in each and every one of our lives. Just being able to understand that kills the ego to a great extent. Today I understand the effects of an egoistic mind and I’m decoding it. Ego sucks you deeper into a mess.
You’ve ever felt like seeing a shrink whenever you’ve been stressed in the past?
Your conscious is your greatest shrink, I think. What a shrink really does is listen to you without getting you into a blame game or becoming judgmental about you. If you have a great family or friends, I don’t think you need to see a psychiatrist. Even in the past, I’ve dealt with my own personal problems. I had a debilitating bone problem; the doctors didn’t give me much of a chance of walking around freely, forget acting or dancing. I was conscious of my stammering and extra thumb. I had my own complexes when growing up. Sometimes I’ve laughed at the strangest of moments. I actually laugh when things are going bad. I know that things can only get better. There never is a point that you can identify 100 per cent happiness. I try to juggle the success and disappointment with a sense of detachment.
Please explain some more…
I always tell myself, “Let’s see if I can do it now.” When I won two Filmfare awards for Kaho Na…Pyaar Hai, I felt I can’t better this. I had so many flops after that. People wrote me off. It was unfair. I wasn’t being compared with the newcomers but with the established superstars. One moment I was being compared to Shah Rukh Khan. Another moment they were saying I was like Kumar Gaurav. Then Koi…Mil Gaya happened. Again I won two awards; I saw those trophies as a culmination of all my traivails. Tomorrow I will be on test again. If my films do well, they’ll say what next? If they flop, the guessing game of “Is Hrithik finished?” will start again. To me the journey is the real thing. So one has to be detached about success and failure. Please, I hope I am not sounding like a philosopher again!
You are but actors seldom sound so interesting, so please continue…
Another huge stress factor is when you try to identify yourself with what’s happened in the past or constantly worry about the future. All you have to think about is what’s here, right here right now. You have to deal with whatever is in the present and accept it. Resistance and denial just weaken you. And the sooner you get rid of the baggage of your past, the better it is for you.
Okay on a professional level, is there any edgy competition between Abhishek and you?
The competition is to try and do your best work. And the point of it all is to keep it healthy. Abhishek and I are on the same side of the competition helping each other to do our best. Competition is the only scenario where you have people pushing you to excel. In that sense Abhishek and I are part of each others success.
So it doesn’t matter that you are compared to him?
The media moves from one headline to another. I was compared to Shah Rukh Khan at the beginning of my career. Today I’m being pitted against Abhishek and tomorrow the wheel turns. Listen, I’m just 12 films old. Gimme a break, even my contemporaries like Rani and Preity Zinta have done twice or thrice the number of films I have done.
You want to kick yourself for not doing Yuva or Bunty aur Babli, both of which went to Abhishek?
Every film has its own destiny. Yuva was destined to be made with Abhishek. In that sense, I actually think I helped give Abhishek the nudge in the right direction. Listen, I didn’t do Yuva cause of various reasons. Otherwise, who is his right mind will say no to Mani Ratnam? Working with Mani Ratnam is still an unfulfilled dream! As for Bunty…I’d have loved to do it, but I genuinely didn’t have the dates.
Ahem, ahem what about Kareena Kapoor? The two of you stopped working together because of your alleged affair.
That’s not true at all. If that were the case, why am I working with Kareena in Zoya Akhtar’s film? I have no problems with her at all. We work well together as a team. I refused certain projects because my roles in them weren’t satisfactory.
Did you sign a negative role in Dhoom-2 because you couldn’t do Farhan Akhtar’s anti-hero in Don?
We all get what we deserve. If I were doing Don, then I wouldn’t have the dates for Dhoom 2. Somewhere when writing the film, Farhan felt he needed a mature face. Don had to be atleast a middle-aged character that could also be seen as a gang leader with authority. Farhan found me too young to play the part and he very honestly communicated it to me. I will always respect Farhan for that. It’s important to be honest to your film than pander or please a big star. Not doing Don was a short-lived disappointment, Dhoom 2 happened just about the same time.
You’ve never lobbied for a role? Were you disappointed that after Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, Karan didn’t cast you in Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna?
In my books lobbying is a myth. I work with honest film makers and neither lobbying nor sucking up would work with them. I trust and respect Karan immensely as a film-maker. I’m sure if he had a role worthy of me he’d have approached me.
Is it true that you had to choose between Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film and Ashutosh Gowarikar’s ‘Jodha Akbar’?
I would never choose between Ashutosh and Sanjay. I’d do both. Sanjay has called me to his house several times and we have discussed a few projects but nothing has come of it. The nature of film-making being as complex as it is, some projects take off and some don’t.
Hello, you refused Rang De Basanti too?
I loved the script of RDB. But doing the film would have been a huge distraction to my approach towards the first schedule of Krrish. I couldn’t just take off for three months, Siddhart did a fantastic job.
You would have done RDB differently?
I would have done it my way…amounting to some difference. Obviously when I was approached for RDB, I was too wrapped up in my fantasy world of Koi…Mil Gaya and Krrish. It seemed like a heavy task to get into a world of struggle and angst, the serious and stark world of Bhagat Singh.
You’ve been married for almost six years now. Any interesting takes on playing husband, especially with showbiz marriages in general going topsy turvy?
Once you’ve made the right choice, I think marriage should be for keeps. You have to make that extra effort, however boring. Also, Sussanne’s uncomplicated. Sometimes she’ll tell me, “Duggu, let’s go for a drive or lets go up to the terrace and have coffee.” And I think ‘what’s the big deal?’ And then I do realize what the deal is about. It’s really therapeutic. I think 99 percent of the negative myths about marriage are spread by those in bad marriages. Maybe that makes good copy for the media too. Those in good marriages, I’m afraid, don’t make for very good copy.
True, go on, I’m listening.
Also, in marriages, most men tend to go out, meet different people and broaden their horizons, while woman stay at home. Soon the couple isn’t able to communicate, they are on different wavelengths. I think husbands must involve spouses in their work. When I was dating Sussanne, being an interior designer, she was earning in lakhs, while I earned a stipend of Rupees 1000. Her independence was a huge attraction for me. In marriage, there should be a sharing of responsibilities. Even today when I go to shows etc, I involve her with my nitty grities. Be it my travel, my stay and my costumes. I want her to be involved. In turn having my wife around gives me a sense of security.
What about fatherhood? Do you spend a lot of sleepless nights because the baby keeps you awake?
That’s one of the biggest myths about fatherhood. Hrehaan is almost two months old, and for the last two months I’ve slept like a baby. Nothing’s changed in my life. Nothing happened suddenly. Yes, there’s a beautiful baby in our midst and I’m just so happy. I’m happier that he looks like Sussanne, which means he will be more handsome than me.
Do you carry him around, change his nappies?
Of course I carry him everyday, but I haven’t changed his nappies yet. I’m sure I’ll be able to do that if I need to. Fatherhood is hugely exaggerated. I don’t feel any different from what I was as a bachelor or a just-married man. Rather than analyzing it, I’m busy living and loving the moments with Hrehaan.