Source: TOI
Date: December 8, 2006
Hrithik Roshan tells Mandvi Sharma why he would rather remember his failures and forget compliments... and why wife Sussanne is proud of his on-screen kiss with Aishwarya.
Kaho naa... star hai:
I had no inkling that 14 January 2000, the day Kaho Naa... Pyar Hai was released, will turn out the way it did. I hit the bull's-eye at the first go and couldn't believe my sudden stardom. So I never understood or calculated what I did to deserve this kind of a welcome in the industry. There was always a sense of imbalance in me because of this – I couldn't decide how much of this I deserved. This was a little unnerving. It took me years and Koi... Mil Gaya to find mental peace.
Nothing comes easy:
But it is not as if I had not prepared for my movie career. I had a major stammering problem as a kid and was diagnosed with scoliosis at the age of 21. Doctors said I would never be able to dance and do all that a film actor does. But I never let it dishearten me, instead I concentrated on achieving my next little step. I took everything one-by-one and faced all of them.
Flops... a lesson learnt:
It is very important to fail because it is then you know the real glory of rising. I have had my share of flops that have bombed at the BO very badly. While accepting my responsibility for them all, I also understand that one needs to push oneself and be out there to find out what you are really made of. If you always stay in the safe zone, you would never find out what is inside you. So my quest is to understand how much am I about and how much can I take. A simple thing as failing in class scares people. But this fear takes away the true meaning of the learning process. In fact, failure is the greatest teacher, so why fear it?
She's the one:
To have someone like Suzanne as my life partner makes me feel lucky. I think I am among those few lucky ones who actually meet their soulmates. Commitment in my life is not a big thing; it's just a way of life. Suzanne is the most wonderful levelheaded woman I have ever seen. In fact, before my Dhoom2 kiss with Ash, my wife laid down only one condition – "If you're going to kiss on screen, this better be the best bloody kiss in the entire world!' And it was a challenge I had to live up to! When she was going to see the preview, I was tense not about the kiss but whether it would live up to the high standards she had set for me. You could say I had performance anxiety. But she was fully satisfied... and quite proud of me.
The legacy of the silent H:
The legacy of the silent H continues. I can't explain in words how it feels to have Hrehaan in my life. It is truly a wonderful feeling to be a father. My world has completely changed. I have started seeing things in a new way. He reminds me of myself.
Hrithik-mania:
I will not deny the fact that it's a great high to be appreciated and complimented. But I know that it is not all. I am just being appreciated for that particular performance... nothing more. This does not make me invincible or ensure that my next will not be a failure. So I take the compliment at face value and move on.
My own best friend:
I have no issues with anybody... Abhishek or any other actor. I think if you are comfortable with yourself, you can get along with anyone. It is your own awkwardness that makes you like a few and hate a few. But if you are completely ego-less, then you will see people for what they are and not how you want to see them.
I'm a foodie:
If I had not been an actor, I would have been a food taster and a gym owner. Both of these are my passions. I am a self-confessed foodie. But this doesn't mean that I know my way around the kitchen. Actually, I am completely dependant on my mother and Suzanne. If they are not around, I would be left starving for the rest of my life. I can't even make instant noodles!