Interview: Hrithik Roshan

By: Sakshi Jain, New York Correspondent

Hrithik Roshan — one of the most popular stars of Bollywood and blockbusters such as Kaho Naa…Pyaar Hai, Krrish, Koi Mil Gaya, and Jodhaa Akbar — is back after a two-year hiatus with the movie Kites. It is a film that he says he “put two and a half years of [his] blood and sweat into and [has] spent ten years preparing for.” Buzzine‘s own Sakshi Jain had a chance to talk to the star during his recent trip to New York City about his upcoming release in Kites, which hit screens worldwide on May 20th and is now playing.

Sakshi Jain: What are some of your expectations for this movie?

Hrithik Roshan: I don’t fix any commercial expectations when I start off to make a movie. It is a very instinctive and honest expression. It is a vision to make a good film, and that is the effort and for me as an artist. I am happy trying to evolve into being a good actor and, through my films, a good human being.

SJ: You sing in the movie. How was that experience?

HR: (Director) Anurag Basu’s vision was to make an honest film devoid of any commercial manipulations that we usually tend to bank on. There is a scene in the movie that calls for the character to sing to the girl, and (Anurag) said that it had to be in my voice because that was the only way to keep the moment honest and real. I am not a professional singer, and neither is my character, and it did not matter if I sang well or not — it was just about attempting to make that moment honest.

SJ: What does Kites mean to you?

HR: Kites is two and a half years of my blood and sweat and my heart and soul. It is an attempt to make a very honest film. It has been an enlightening experience for me. I had to unlearn a lot and shift gears and get influenced by a different approach to art. This journey has helped me evolve as a creative person.

SJ: How was working on this movie compared to everything else you have done prior?

HR: In my previous movies, I have always played larger-than-life characters. Kites is a film that fell into my lap at the right time. Whatever I have done for the last ten years has been preparation to get me ready for a role like this. I had to have faith to let go and unlearn everything. I had to have enough faith to be able to fly when the director said “Action,” and not worry about where and how. I was not following any preconceived trajectories or equations like I had in my previous films. Kites has the potential to appeal to a global audience because it is honest. It is not catering to a select audience but to human beings in general.

SJ: What do you want your fans to take away from this movie?

HR: This is a beautiful film that I am proud of. I know every person who watches this film will take back something. They will identify with some emotion. It will make you fall in love all over again.

SJ: Do you think you could have done Kites earlier in your career?

HR: No, I believe all that I did before Kites was preparation for me to be ready for a film like this. When I started in my career, there was a desperate need to fit into the mold of the Indian hero. The Indian hero was superficially designed to be the ideal man. He had to be a great dancer and be able to do both action and comedy. All of this was manifested in a film like Dhoom.  But sporadically, through films like Lakshya and Koi Mil Gaya, I ventured into places that were more magical, and when I came out of this, I realized they were roles that were not planned or crafted. I realized there was more to this art than what I had been doing.  After that, I was in a constant search for a role where the mind switches off and you just live the part. Kites came at the right time, where I was ready to completely let go of the mind and play it by heart.

SJ: There was a lot of controversy about the intimate scenes between you and Aishwarya Rai in Dhoom. Are you at all concerned about any possible negative reaction you might receive from the audience in response to the intimate scenes between you and Barbara Mori in this film?

HR: How you perceive any creative work depends on the person you are inside. You can choose to see something as beautiful or as vulgar. It is not my call. I do honest work and I do it with a pure heart, and if you see my work in this film, I do not think it will be possible for you to judge it as undignified or impure.

SJ: Do you believe Kites is the best performance you have done to date?

HR: I do not like to judge my work. However, I can say that (Kites) is a film that I am very proud of.

Editor’s Note: Kites is now playing and features Hrithik Roshan alongside Barbara Mori, Nick Jones and Kabir Bedi. The film is directed by Anurag Basu, produced by Rakesh Roshan and distributed by Reliance BIG Pictures. It opened on 2,300 screens worldwide, setting an all-time record for number of screenings of an Indian film.