Source: TOI
Date: January 15, 2012
By: Meena Iyer
Hrithik Roshan talks fondly of the Ganesh aarti in Agneepath Hrithik Roshan gets goosebumps as he talks about the signature tune that plays when his character Vijay Dinanath Chauhan comes on screen in Agneepath. It’s the tune of the Ganesh aarti, which he grew up listening to. About the special song that goes on air today, Hrithik says, “It was an electrifying moment when I first heard the song, especially the interlude, as that is a signature tune across India. Most of us have grown up singing it or hearing it.” The actor says he doesn’t believe in idol worship, “but every nook of my home has a Ganesh idol! It’s because my mother cannot resist buying Ganesh idols.”
The actor says he has a special connection with Mumbai’s most joyous festival because it was celebrated with fanfare in his grandfather’s home. “I could never have enough of it when I was a child,” he recalls. “The kids from our neighbourhood would sing the aarti accompanied by the dhol and other musical instruments like the manjira, and I would sing along in my loudest voice,” he smiles. Hrithik believes he somehow passed this thought on to his director Karan Malhotra, and the vibe is manifested in the tune that plays a significant role in Agneepath.
Asked about the experience of playing a Maharashtrian, and the actor smiles and says, “In my opinion, I don’t look like a Maharashtrian. But then I didn’t look like Akbar either. I’m told Akbar was short and had dark eyes. I still carried off the role of the Mughal emperor in Jodhaa Akbar, so I guess I can be convincing as a Maharashtrian too.” Though he has spent his entire life in Mumbai, Duggu can’t speak Marathi. “But I can understand every word,” he says.