‘My childhood was hell’

As a kid,he was teased,poked,ridiculed and made fun of. “I stammered and struggled hard to speak normally,” superstar Hrithik Roshan comes out of the closet with a secret,one that’s tormented him since childhood. Sitting on the ‘beach’ with chat show host Farah Khan,Hrithik,for the first time of television,will share his trauma,fears and how he overcame his speech impairment. “I was about six years old when I began stammering. Everything used to seem normal till I would start talking. I would get stuck and don’t know why. I was in shock,for I couldn’t understand this condition and all people did was stare at me. It was hell,” says Hrithik. When asked till when the problem continued,he adds,“Six to 35. I am 35.”

Back to childhood,and Hrithik says that you really can’t blame children for making fun of you for it does sound funny. “Unfortunately,it’s one of those handicaps that is made fun of. So the childhood of a person suffering from a problem like this is pure hell. From the time you wake up in the morning to the time you sleep,you almost dread some days because you have to go through it all over again!” And to avoid all this,especially the oral tests at school,Hrithik used to bunk school,fake illness,“I even sprained my hand once to avoid school.”

“Mummy and daddy have been supportive. But sometimes love is not enough! When you love someone you want that person to be okay and it comes out as anger. It’s like ‘Come on,you can do it,just concentrate hard!’”

Watch how Hrithik struggled to get his speech right and how he works on it even today to the extent that no one would ever believe that he ever had a handicap! Catch Tere Mere Beach Mein at 9pm,on Saturday,September 26,Star Plus.