Vicky Kaushal says real stardom is what Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Hrithik Roshan have achieved: ‘Today’s stardom is like fast food, you can buy it…’

“The adulation he received from his fans was unbelievable. I wanted to meet him and despite my father being a film technician who has worked with Hrithik, I could only meet him once. The fact that I had to work hard to see him mattered,” he shared.

Drawing references to today’s time of social media and instant popularity, Vicky Kaushal further shared, “The accessibility today is such that a person is a star only till he or she is in the news or trending on social media. A real star has to have longevity – like Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Hrithik. Earlier in Bollywood, stardom came after decades of hard work and that fame was for life. Today, stardom is easily attainable-like instant coffee. You can even buy followers, fans, ticks and verifications. Today’s stardom is like fast food. I am grateful for the love I receive from my audience, but I do not feel like a star.”

This is not the first time Vicky Kaushal has expressed his love for Hrithik Roshan. After sharing the stage and dancing on “Ek pal ka jeena” with him at IIFA, Vicky shared a sweet note on Instagram. He also posted a throwback picture of his first meeting with the War actor on Fiza (2000) sets, along with his younger brother Sunny Kaushal. “Swipe right to see why this little moment will always be special to me! @hrithikroshan,” he wrote in the caption.

In 2017, Vicky had shared the same picture on his page giving details about his fanboy moment. He wrote, “Found this while cleaning up my drawers today. My first time on a film set (Fiza) and the reason was to see this phenomena in flesh and blood. KNPH had just come out and I was a crazy fan like many others. Someone told me that he only meets kids who can dance on ‘Ek pal ka jeena’ (obviously I was getting fooled), but I believed that and rehearsed and practiced dancing on the song for 3 days before meeting him. When I finally met, he was the sweetest person ever. Probably the only time I have stared at another human being for hours at stretch… coz may be for me he was not just a purush, he was a mahapurush. Inspiration… then, now and forever. Hrithik Roshan! #throwback along with biraadar @sunsunnykhez”.

Hrithik had even replied to Vicky’s post as he wrote, “Thanks Vicky for bringing back some heartwarming memories! You have grown into such an outstanding actor. All the best for your future and looking forward to seeing you in more great projects!”

On the work front, Vicky Kaushal was last seen in Zara Hatke Zara Bachke, a surprise hit this year. He next has late Field Marshal Sam Maneckshaw’s biopic Sam Bahadur, which will release on December 1.