‘Hrithik Roshan was the most powerful man in India after PM, and…’: Ameesha Patel on actor’s ‘disturbed’ state after back-to-back flops

She said, “Immediately after Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai, he was working with the best directors… Sooraj Barjatya, Subhash Ghai, Yash Raj Films, even a film with me, and nothing worked. He and I used to discuss this on set… On one Friday, Hrithik Roshan becomes the most powerful man after the PM in this country, and the next Friday, people are not accepting his films. What kind of world is this? But I think Hrithik is a demi-god, he’s a Greek god, he’s a superstar forever. Good talent can never be shaken.”

Ameesha said that she ‘felt bad’ when she saw Hrithik being put on a pedestal, and then being dragged to the bottom by the same people. “They said he’s a one-film wonder, and they began comparing him to previous one-film wonders. It’s such a sad tag to give to someone. And when I heard that announcement, three years later, of Rakesh uncle with Koi… Mil Gaya, I was like, ‘Now he’s going to come back’.”

She continued, “We were doing Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage, and we would talk. We would be shooting on the set a day after his film had flopped, and he used to be very disturbed, of course. Our first film was such a massive hit, of course the downfall is going to hit you harder. And he’s telling me, ‘But Ameesha, aapne toh dusri film Gadar de di, main flop de raha hoon aap Gadar de rahe ho (But you did Gadar and I did flops)’. I told him not to worry, because the tables will inevitably turn.” Ameesha admitted that Hrithik was being affected by ‘comparitive analysis’.

Recently, while celebrating the 20th anniverary of Koi… Mil Gaya, Rakesh Roshan looked back on what a difficult time Hrithik was having before its release. “Unfortunately, after Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai and before Koi… Mil Gaya, all his films didn’t do well. His last film also, Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon, it released two months before my film, that also didn’t do well. And I thought, ‘Koi… Mil Gaya shayad koi dekhne ko na aaye (What if nobody comes to watch my film),” he told Bollywood Hungama.

Hrithik is now among the biggest Bollywood stars of his generation. He delivered the biggest hit of his career in 2019, War, and was last seen in Vikram Vedha. He will next be seen in the film Fighter, which will reunite him with his War director Siddharth Anand.