Source: Deccan Chronicle
Date: January 22, 2012
Hrithik Roshan, whom the country is waiting to see as Vijay Dinanath Chauhan in Agneepath, is acutely aware of the expectations, and the big shoes he has to fill. Yet, what might put any other actor off balance, seems to have little effect on the star. Hrithik is cool, calm and collected as we sit in his swanky home for a tete-a-tete with the actor who might just emerge as the star of the year. However, ask the actor about his experience of re-shooting a classic and he doesn’t miss a beat before he starts talking about his co-actor and mentor of sorts, Sanjay Dutt, who plays the other iconic role of Kancha Cheena. “Sanju sir — that’s what I call him — we worked together in Mission Kashmir. That time I was a newbie and in awe of Sanju sir, who performed his character, including the role of my adopted father in the film, with such ease. In Agneepath, I had to give him tough competition in the fight sequences. Of course, this would not be possible without the sincere efforts by him. He made me work out every day to make the scenes look believable. I remember, whenever I would go slow, he would shout, ‘At 50, I can still go on and on. Why can’t you?’ That worked like a booster shot and I would up my level of energy and get back to work. The climax scene in Agneepath, where I have to tooth-and-nail fight with Sanju sir, would not have been possible without him helping me keep my energy levels high with work-outs and a proper diet.”
The other co-star that Hrithik seems to be in awe of is his on-screen ladylove, Priyanka Chopra. “There is so much more to Priyanka’s character than the hot sizzling scene, which is being shown in the promos. In fact, after the film releases people will find Priyanka as the strongest character. It is because of her love for Vijay that the audience will start liking Vijay for what he is. Her character in the film is a necessary catalyst and she has given a wonderful performance.” The actor also rubbishes the rumour about him and Arjun Rampal ignoring SRK. “I do not believe in any camps. Besides, why would I need to keep a distance with Shah Rukh Khan? I share a good rapport with him and all my peers. SRK inspires me as my senior. I have learnt a lot from him,” says Hrithik, who also believes that the rumours about him and Salman Khan is the work of an “idle mind”. “It seems a certain journalist didn’t see me bond with Salman and his family before he had gone for his surgery and decided to put two and two together and come out with this. Salman and I had spent a good three to four hours together over lunch with our respective family members around before he left for his surgery. There is no rift between us.”
Talking about his biggest inspiration in life, Hrithik says, “I still remember my dad would often say, ‘What will you do? You can never be a star! Kya shakal hai.’ Then at the age of 19, I shot a video where I enacted Raj Kapoor’s scene from the film Anari. It was the scene where Lalitha Pawar dies. The video had me trying to enact Raj Kapoor’s part with dialogues, expressions and all. My mum saw it and later showed it to my dad who finally embraced me and said, ‘Son, you seem to have worked very hard. Your efforts are visible. I can see a star in you’.”