Hrithik Roshan - 20 years of the Millennial Star
The year 2020 is here, the start of a brand new decade, and just like every January, most of us are still figuring out their resolutions or beginning to fulfill them as promised. All my life, I have never made any concrete resolutions because of the 'Fear' that I might fail to live up to them, but somehow this year, the 'Fearless' in me is pushing me to make one.
So, at least for 2020, I want to commit myself to post a blog entry every month about something that resonates with the month in play.
And that brings us to January.
It's 2020; it's 20 years since the new millennium started.
Twenty years back, in this very month of January, a Superstar stepped into the world of Cinema and instantly created a buzz for the moviegoers from around the globe.
I am talking of none other than the Millennial Superstar - Hrithik Roshan
The actor who took our hearts with the innocent 'Rohit' from Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai and to date continues to dazzle us with the charismatic 'Kabir' from War.
My analogy, as mentioned earlier of 'Fear' and 'Fearless' is motivated by one of Hrithik's recent Instagram posts. When I look back at his 20 years, it reminds me of how inspired and energized I have felt all these years.
I won't touch base on Hrithik's movies, but few that stand out in my mind as refreshing, magical, and indeed enjoyable.
Let's rewind the clock…
I vividly remember when the promos of KNPH came out, no one in my family or friends knew the principal actors of the film. All we could relate to was the fact that it was a Rakesh Roshan film. Moreover, when the 'Ek Pal Ka Jeena' promo song sung by Lucky Ali played on popular music channels, I believed it to be from his Pop album. The film released on the 14th of January, 2000, and within a few days, it became a sensation in India. Every media channel was talking about the success of the film, and Hrithik became an overnight star.
I watched the film on the 26th of January, precisely why I am posting this blog today, and my perception of seeing a movie and enjoying a movie changed instantly.
It's not that before KNPH or before Hrithik, I didn't see or enjoy movies, but there was that aspect of die-hard 'fondness' that was missing.
Watching Hrithik in KNPH gave me that comfortable epicenter.
Between music and dance, I have always picked dance as a personal choice because it was easier for me to pick up steps than notes, and that, among many reasons, is why Hrithik is still my favorite actor. His effortless style at execution, his flawless moves, coupled with his personality, makes dance watching a pleasure. Slowly it became a habit of knowing all his endeavors like when was his next film coming out, where he was shooting the upcoming movie etc. and it became an obsession, and I was getting to know the real meaning of being a 'Fan.'
From there on, I have watched every Hrithik film with complete devotion. I have seen him act, dance, and beat the hell out of the bad guys.
And it's not just these specifics that make him a Superstar.
His overall demeanor and humility is a sign of calmness, and the film industry needed a balance like Hrithik. He brought a sense of ingenuity, which was missing, something that made him stand apart from the herd.
After KNPH, Hrithik did a variety of roles in movies like Fiza, Mission Kashmir, K3G, etc. but we as fans were missing the simplicity of 'Rohit' from KNPH. He was enchanting us with his dance, with his style, with his emotions but somewhere that innocent side was missing, and then the genius Rakesh Roshan came up with Koi Mil Gaya.
Before KMG, Hrithik's career was going downhill. His films were performing poorly at the box-office, even the critics had written him off, and that's why the reference to Rakesh Roshan is necessary.
When you look at Hrithik Roshan, you have to keep Rakesh Roshan in the thoughts as well. The way he has cast Hrithik in all his films shows how much trust he has in him as an actor. Keeping the movie budget in check and without compromising content, KMG was beautifully presented, with a sensible soul at the center. For Bollywood, it's not just the action that defines a genre; we want everything from emotions to comedy, from music to dance, from thrill to simplicity, and over the years, Rakesh Roshan has given the audiences the mix of all these mini-worlds.
On similar lines, Hrithik's uncle, Rajesh Roshan, has backed the movies with soulful music and brought out the best in the actor. Right from fast-track dancing tunes to rhyming melodies, Rajesh Roshan's music has been the core of the Roshan movies.
Coming back to KMG…
To date, it is my favorite Hrithik Roshan movie, and not because he portrays the role of a mentally disabled boy, which in its way is challenging, but because of the way he emotes us with his feelings and makes us see the pain of the character.
The movie went on to become one of his most successful films and paved the way to the Krrish franchise, which in my opinion, is the icing on the cake for the fans because we are expecting more movies coming out of that franchise.
We have grown up seeing a lot of superheroes and imagined ourselves in their fancy suits.
Hrithik Roshan is India's Superhero.
Whenever there is a mention of Indian Superheroes, the name of Krrish always comes up.
Sequel to Koi Mil Gaya, the movie showed Rohit (Hrithik's character in KMG) explore and learn the horizons of his powers, and how suddenly those same powers help him uncover the truths of his past. I was amazed at his transformation and how much training and composure went into preparing for the character. On-screen, he was flawless, and the experience was enchanting.
I mentioned earlier that the actor has inspired me, and believe me, Krrish played a massive part because it banks on the exploration of the uncertain, backed by immense hard work and dedication.
We, as fans, look up to our role models, and we try to bring some aspect of our role models into our daily life. Be it perseverance, be it discipline, be it the hunger to succeed, etc. In some way, we get inspired by various facets of our role models.
When it comes to Hrithik, the one thing I love about him is the fact that he never gives up. I remember before the Krrish 3 shooting had begun, he was suffering from slip disc, which had made him bed stricken for months. As a result of this injury, he had gained a lot of weight and couldn't even fit into his Krrish suit. A few months later, I was reading an article in the news and came across Hrithik's fantastic transformation from 'flab to fit' in 10 weeks. The pictures of his change were so amazing that many non-believers termed it as photoshopped. The article also talked about how difficult it was for him to train while recovering from a slip-disc injury and how he couldn't lift heavy weights and, instead, had to do more reps to achieve the necessary gains. The whole article, the entire experience of reading how he had done it, echoed just one sentiment - that he never gave up on the goal. It was like a kick in the butt for me. After reading Hrithik's journey, I felt bad that if one of my role models could overcome all difficulties and achieve his goals, then what's my excuse?
It was that day, and it's today, and believe me, my love for going to the gym started after reading that article.
We have talked about Hrithik's way of bringing tears to our eyes with his innocent, emotive, and sincere portrayal of characters, coupled with his effortless dance and crispy moves. Let's shed some light on the characters which have awed us, and on those lines, movies like Dhoom 2 and War took the style quotient through the roof.
The beginning of Dhoom 2 was enough to get the return on the ticket money, and no other movie in the Dhoom franchise showed the kind of stunts and finesse. Every theft demonstrated in the film was aesthetically shot, and Hrithik preferred to do all stunts by himself, a feat that he has continued doing for all his movies. The movie went on to become a huge success and gave Hrithik the Filmfare Best Actor award, even though he was playing the antagonist in the film. His chemistry with Aishwarya Rai was widely appreciated and paved the way for future films like Jodhaa Akbar and Guzaarish.
On similar lines, Hrithik came back to the action genre in War and convincingly played the role of a rogue secret agent who is trying to avenge the death of a loved one and saving the nation from an imminent threat. For most of the movie, it was all Hrithik show and a treat for his fans. That entry scene where he walks out of a chopper; does nothing else but walk. A slight shimmy to the side, the gentle removal of the glasses, and the rest is the walk. Many run to make an entrance; many drive a Ferrari to make an entrance.
All Hrithik has to do is walk…
That walk and entry became a fantastic spectacle for the audience.
Few other notable performances in Lakshya, Guzaarish, Kaabil, and Super 30 also need a mention before I touch-base on the final two films.
When you think of Hrithik, you will often associate the term versatility because he has done a variety of roles over twenty years, and each time his fans have waited to see his new avatar. Be it, Lieutenant Karan Shergill from Lakshya, Ethan Mascarenhas from Guzaarish, Rohan from Kaabil or Anand Kumar from Super 30, the actor has never failed to amaze his audience, and such movies have shown the acting prowess of the superstar. The risk of doing a role that demands changes to physical appearance, mental training, and, most importantly, getting the correct poise into the character is immense, and time after time, Hrithik has found ways to deliver a brilliant performance.
The last two films that I want to touch upon are two of my very favorite movies - Jodhaa Akbar and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.
Jodhaa Akbar was Hrithik's next film after the massive success of Dhoom 2, and it came after a gap of over a year. A lot of hype had built up about the movie, the acclaimed director of films like Lagaan and Swades, Ashutosh Gowariker, was making the film and the pair of Aishwarya and Hrithik was reuniting. So the expectations were high for everyone involved in the movie, and upon release, the audience gave a thumbs up. Once again, the pair looked beautiful on-screen and Hrithik as Akbar was convincing, loving, and ruthless.
And that brings us to ZNMD…
It would be wrong to say it was just a Hrithik movie, simply because there were so many amazing performances alongside. I usually call it the director's film because bringing such an ensemble cast, backing it up with an engaging story, soulful music, stunning visuals, and a captivating climax is an achievement in itself. Even though the story was segmented ideally between the principal actors, Hrithik's character of transforming from living life on the edge to living life with happiness was riveting to see.
Up until now, it has been a fantastic journey for Hrithik Roshan and called me biased or whatever, but I want to see more and more of my favorite actor on the silver screen.
I want to see the style of Raj, the subtleness of Rohit, the dare of Kabir, the seriousness of Karan, the magic of Ethan, the ingenuity of Rohan, the honesty of Arjun, the poise of Akbar and to top it all, the agility of Krrish, over and over again...
I want to dance on 'Ek Pal Ka Jeena', 'Jai Jai Shiv Shankar', 'Bang Bang' and 'It's Magic' as admiration for the superstar because as a fan, I want to see more and more of those skillful moves.
#ThankYou #Hrithik for 20 years of entertainment.
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