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Hrithik Roshan completes 25 years as an actor, says he still gets nervous while starting new projects

In the just-released Netflix docu-series, The Roshans, Hrithik talks of being “extremely shy” and having a “debilitating stutter”. He mentions how having “two thumbs” further put him in the bracket of not being normal. However, once he realised that there was “something” in him, he dreamt of being an actor with the desire to be “seen and validated”

Actor Hrithik Roshan

FOR Hrithik Roshan, who by his own admission “doesn’t like attention”, sharing images of several pages from his old notebook needed a momentous occasion. Ahead of Hrithik completing 25 years as a lead actor — his debut feature Kaho Naa…Pyaar Hai released on January 14, 2000, giving him instant superstardom — the actor posted these pages on social media filled with his scribbles that are more like dialogues with the self. Through these notes, the actor seems to have kept himself motivated as he prepped for playing the double role, being the good-hearted but poor Rohit and the rich guy Raj.

“I’d be embarrassed sharing these (his notes), but after 25 years of being in the industry, I guess I can handle it. The only thing I want to celebrate are these scribbles. Only thing I am relieved about is the proof of resilience,” wrote Hrithik, who turned 51 earlier this month.

While prepping for his father Rakesh Roshan’s Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai, he was “nervous” — something that Hrithik says he often experiences when starting a new movie even today. Yet, if one goes through his scribblings carefully, it’s possible to catch glimpses of his vulnerability, intensity, ambition and self-assurance. “One life. That’s it. Only one life. One chance…Don’t give a s**t about small failures, little mistakes. Just keep going.” The fact that Kaho Naa…Pyaar Hai marked the birth of a true-blue Bollywood star is proof that these ‘notes’ worked.

Hrithik with co-star Ameesha Patel in a still from the highly successful Kaho Naa…Pyaar Hai

Born into a film family — his paternal grandfather Roshan Lal Nagrath was an acclaimed music composer; maternal grandfather J Om Prakash was a producer and director; uncle Rajesh Roshan a music director and father Rakesh a successful actor-turned-director — Hrithik became a pop-culture sensation. He not only made a big impact in the film world, at a time when the trio of Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Aamir Khan dominated the scene, but also earned a dedicated fanbase and critical praise.

In the just-released Netflix docu-series, The Roshans, Hrithik talks of being “extremely shy” and having a “debilitating stutter”. He mentions how having “two thumbs” further put him in the bracket of not being normal. However, once he realised that there was “something” in him, he dreamt of being an actor with the desire to be “seen and validated”.

With the astounding success of his first film at 26, the light-eyed actor was called “a Greek God” — a moniker that has stuck with him till date. With the widespread popularity of dance sequences featuring Hrithik in Kaho Naa… as well as in several other movies that followed, he also became one of ‘India’s greatest dancing stars’, described as “poetry in motion” by actor Madhuri Dixit.

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Even though his movies like Yaadein (2001), Mujhse Dosti Karoge! (2002) and Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon (2003) during the initial years of his career did not repeat the commercial success of his first movie, he managed to win accolades for the coming-of-age film Lakshya (2004); Dhoom 2 (2006), where he was a suave thief; Krrish (2006) in which he played a superhero and Jodhaa Akbar (2008), in which he played the titular emperor. Over the years, Hrithik has captivated audiences with his range, and charisma. While movies like Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011) tapped into the romantic hero in him, popular movies such as Bang Bang! (2014) and Vikram Vedha (2022) consolidated his status as an action hero.

In the last decade, Hrithik has been in the news probably more for his personal life, including his divorce from Sussanne Khan (with whom he has two sons) in November 2014 and a public spat with his Krrish 3 co-star Kangana Ranaut in 2016. Even though the number of his lead appearances reduced during this period, his action thriller War (2019) registered the highest opening for the actor at Rs 53.35 crore.

It will be interesting to see how his career unfolds now. While it is official that he is acting in War 2 and Krrish 4, he has posted a fun video with co-actors Farhan Akhtar and Abhay Deol, teasing about the possibility of doing Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’s sequel.