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INTERVIEW 'S
Mr. Right
Are you looking for somebody to take home to mamma? A 16 biceps and an abdomen with cuts. Did you say you would like someone to pull chairs and open doors? And have an aquiline nose? A sensitive man of the nineties who laughs at all your jokes and feels your pain. A chiselled face that seems to belong to Greece.
Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? Hritik Roshan has a tragic flaw, though-there is nothing wrong about him. Actually there is, his pet name Duggu.
Did you always this burning ambition to be an actor?
"Since as long back as I can remember I knew I had to do this. For me it wasn't something I was going to become. I just had to do this. The decision I had to make was whether I should not do it. It seemed too tough. Dad struggled a lot in life, he want through certain obstacles that were unimaginable. He did not even have money to go by train and so he would take lifts. Then he struggled for 15 years. Then he got into direction. For his first directorial venture he had mortgaged everything, all we had was on the line. I remember we had gone for the premiere of 'Khudgarz'. My sister and I were kids. My parents were on the front seat, dad was driving. Mom was besides him. I didn't realise the heaviness in the air.
"I remember mom turned to dad and said, 'If this film does not run where will we go?' and after that there was silence from Juhu to Metro. I saw tears roll down my mother's cheeks, I nudged my sister and I did not realise what was happening, I though they were fighting. Now I know hoe much bad had put into the film. I guess my family did not want me to go through all this uncertainty. Here I know you stand alone. No matter two great the father has been, why I had decided that I would to got America, do a course on special effects and then try my luck at acting. So there was some alternative to fall back on. So I did my SAT, got my admission and then prepared to leave, but when the time actually came I realised that I was running away from the problem. I could not live with that. Then I tore my applications. I told dad I will never feel the satisfaction if I don't go through this grind. I yearn for the sense of exhilaration at the end of the victory. if I don't fight there is no way I will win and that was my decision."
Did your parents object to your decision?
"Once I had made up my mind there was no looking back. Everyone in the house subconsciously knew this is what I am going to do. Whenever I was passing a mirror I would straighten my hair, imitate one actor and walk like another actor. So it was a forgone conclusion."
For a newcomer you seem to have learnt the ropes pretty early. What's more, you have even learnt to balance serious and commercial cinema.
"I am lucky because I wanted to do various kind of roles. My first film shows me in a western light. Then I have 'Mission Kashmir', which projects me as a hard-core terrorist. It was a challenge and I always wanted to do something daringly different. Well this is not a conscious decision."
Since you and your father are from different generations, is there a clash of idea? Especially when 'Kaho Na Pyar Hain' was being scripted or directed?
"Dad and I work in conjunction. When he thinks of a subject he takes my opinion. This has been happening for the last so many years. It is not that I left myself in his hands. Let us put it this way-when my fathers thinks of a subject he speaks to me. It was always give and take. I believe everything is a matter of chance and my father has taken the biggest of them well beyond that. It is the survival of the fittest. It you see 'Kaho Na Pyar Hain', you will see that dad has put himself in the shoes of an 18 years old or 20 year old. It is a pleasantly surprising Rakesh Roahan film. There are no loud villians, bubbly heroines or unbelievably macho heroes. I think all that worked at one point of time but today it is out of sync with the times."
Had this metamorphosis come from within Rakehs Roshan or were you the one who instigated it?
"If it does not come from within you it is not honest but if these changes are because of somebody else it bound to show. I probably provided the stimulus, but it was a decision made of his own accord."
Rakesh Roshan has dabbled with a lot of genres of filmmaking but never a young love story. Was he reserving his best for you?
"Every filmmaker makes a film he is very passionate about. There is never something reserved for a pet project. In fact 5 years ago he had thought of making this film, but he was waiting for the right person to come along."
You have been an assistance to Rakesh Roshan. Is there a big difference being assistant to Rakesh Roshan and being his hero?
"Dad is not tough on me, he is patient. He knows what he is, as far as I am concerned. He knows he has to deal with a newcomer with kid gloves. Patience is the key word, to push very gently, to keep his confidence. That has been good for Ameesha and me. But I can vouch for one, thing he did not compromise on anything. Actually by the 3rd schedule he was back to his tough task-master way of working."
What is your opinion on the finished product of 'Kaho Na Pyar Hain'?
"Working with a director of dad's level, there is one thing for a fact, a shot might not be good, but it is correct. The feedback that I have got is that it does not come across as a newcomer film, there is freshness, and as far as acting is concerned, it is all correct."
When a father launches his son, don't you believe he loses all objectivity?
"I don't know about other fathers but my father is a very practical man. He will not compromise. In our case, the film was conceived first and then I came into the picture. He saw the need for a newcomer and then it struck him that he had somebody at home. It was actually an offer from the doctor to an aspiring actor and not from a father to a son. The film actually revolves around the girl. The girl moves the film, the hero comes and goes. It is not a show reel for me. There was a point in the film I remember requesting my father to add a few scenes for me, but dad said, 'you can go and do it in some other film.' I was only seeing me, not the film in totality and I realised that beyond the film, I would not work. I know if Shah Rukh Khan had given dad the same suggestion he would have carried it through but since I made it bad just blocked his mind toward that direction. I thought my father needed to dramatically tell the world that, 'Look here is my son' but he has said subtly."
Being a star-son may be a ticket to stardom but not to success.
"I can't fight luck, my motto is that you get what you deserve. I have got this big launch and people feel I am lucky. When it is released the film might not fare the way we want it to but that is an eventuality that will happen if I don't deserve what I have got. I know I have put in 100 per cent."
Vinod Chopra is supposed to be a hard task-master and your father too has the same reputation. Between the devil and the deep sea whom do you prefer?
"I have done one schedule with Mr. Chopra. But for me it was very hard acting in front of dad. I had made all my mistakes in my first film. By the time I started with my second film with Mr. Chopra I had already made most of my silly mistakes and had learnt from the them. My first film was tough because I was learning a lot. Things I thought were right were wrong and a lot of things I thought were wrong turned out to be right and this I learnt from dad. I know Mr. Chopra was happy with my work and I was happy that he was happy."
Shah Rukh Khan opted out of 'Mission Kashmir' because he did not feel very safe going to Kashmir under the militant turmoil. Did your family worry for you too?
"Initially my father did have some reservations but I completely trusted Mr. Chopra, after all, he was not directing the film in Kashmir by proxy. So I was secure. My mom and dad were a little apprehensive but Sanjay Dutt and Preity Zinta were going too. And when we went we had lots of fun. It was a great schedule."
Your P.R. seems impeccable. First it was Salman Khan and Abhishek Bachchan. Are you killing your competition with kindness?
"I do not think Abhishek Bachchan is competition at all. I am not competing with him at all. The media has pitted us against each other. I have known Abhishek since I was in the 2nd standard, we used to go to school in the same van. And nobody is going to convince me I was planning that since then. It is ridiculous. Abhishek, Shweta and I have all grown up together. It is only natural that I wish the best for him and he wishes the best for me. The competition is just in the minds of the people. It is just a topic of discussion like there is sports politics, films. I know some people will like him more and some people will like him more and some people will like me more but there is no way I am going to snatch a film going his way because I believe there is enough space for 20 more of us. That is definite."
And how about Salman..?
"We got to know each other well when dad was shooting 'Karan-Arjun' and Salman used to come over the house. Salman used to always tell dad that he should launch me because he thought I deserved to be an actor. When we decided to make 'Kaho Na PYar Hain', I was very, very thin. Really skinny. I had asked my dad for some times and dad gave me 4 months. Whether you like it or not, I believe physically is a very basic thing. It's only after you see the face you see the acting. The spot is on just the way the hero looks. I tried putting on weight and building my muscles, but there was no success. I was very disappointed and down in the dumps. Out of the blue, one day I called up Salman and said, 'Hey! remember me?' He never did, I had to introduce myself as Rakesh Roshan's son and then he placed me. And then he shocked me instantly when he called me to his house, sat me down, spoke to me and he helped me tremendously. We worked out at the gym he has in his house and he taught me a lot. Not just about body building but also about being in front of the camera and I really respect that. I won't say I owe it to him because that is not done in friendship but he was great. He is all heart. I had a great time with him. I had not planned any of this and I don't think I am anywhere in Salman's league. I look upto him."
Admittedly Abhishek is not competition but as a friend do you keep tabs on the film he has on hand?
"I have not met Abhishek that often. But if I did I would definitely ask him what I is happening in life."
He is essentially signing commercial projects, be it Vashu Bhagnani's or Raj Kanwar's What is your strategy?
"My strategy is very simple- hard work, dedication and humility. I am not going to manipulate anything. I will leave the rest to fate, just do my job right that is it."
Surprising that you speak of humility in a generation that stresses on giving attitude?
"I don't know about this generation or any other generation. All I know is being humble is a battle way to be. Outside studios and sets I have seen people behaving like stars and I have wondered why. Acting is a job. If I am playing a character in the film I can't extend it to life. I think every actor should remember that he has a life and family to go back to-where you come from. The world really plays with the mind of actors. They raise you to the skies and pull you to the ground."
But don't you feel a little inhibited?
"I don't think of that at all. I think of my job. I just have to keep focused on my aim. That I have to act. And if I start thinking of my rivals or look here- there I'll start tumbling. So I don't do that, I just keep my head on my shoulder looking forward."
When a hero is launched under the home banner, the heroine in the project invariably gets a raw deal. Is that the case with Ameesha?
"That is a myth that my film will shatter. Ameesha is vary talented, she has done a great job, there is no way you can tell she is a newcomer."
The newcomer who was originally to be launched with you was Kareena Kapoor. Later she switched her loyalties to J.P. Dutta's 'Refugee'. Did you think that was professional?
"First of all, there was nothing better than Ameesha Patel to happen to this film. Right now, after seeing the film, I can't imagine anybody else doing it, though I think dad would have done an equally good job with anybody else. If there was a problem I had, Ameesha would adjust right away. Professionally speaking, according to me, Kareena's decision was wrong. I don't really know what happened between Kareena and Babita aunty, all I know is that Babita aunty made a few demands from dad, which he could not meet and so my dad told them that he didn't want to work with them. For me, she didn't walk out of the film and she is still a friend and a very talented one. I am working with her in two films-Raj kanwars and Rahul Rawail's. I don't want to say much more because her father and my father are very good friends and it would be wrong to me to get into details."
On a lighter vein, have you seen 'Mother'?
"No! (laughs) But I'm dying to see it, the movie is hilarious."
It has already been released, I see you're not keeping track of your father's career?
"That film is not a part of my father's career. He's done that film for fun, I didn't know it was released. I think I should see it."
Do you think your father should have done this, instead of directing?
"He's not gone back to acting, he just did the film because his two best friends were in it. They were gonna have a ball of a time, at the outdoor and it was all shot at one outdoor. The script was very interesting."
One thing everyone wants to know in detail is about your love-life. You are going rock-steady with Sanjay Khan's youngest daughter Suzanne?
"I am in a serious relationship, there is no hiding it. I think it is very stupid. Most of your actors have attained stardom after marriage-take Aamir, Shah Rukh or Mr. Bachchan. I don't become a star in my normal routine life. You think the audience really cares? I am doing all I am doing so that I can live the life I want to live with the person I love so I am manipulating that in any way. It is just stupid for people to hide wives girlfriends or even boyfriends."
Is marriage in the offing?
"Eventually, yes, but not in the near future. I still have to earn to be able to afford it. Marriage is a luxury few can afford."
How does your girlfriend take you choice of career?
"Well, she has exactly my frame of mind, so we are compatible."
And how does she react to your reported link-up with Ameesha Patel?
"Well, was there a rumour? No she isn't bothered about rumours. If there is no trust in a relationship then there is no point in being in one. We have been seeing each other for three and a half years. The least we can have is faith."
What is Hritik Roshan's USP?
"I don't have a USP. I am discovering it."
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