Hrithik Roshan on 2019 being a turnaround year as he follows up Super 30 success with War, his biggest opener
Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; October 4, 2019)

He may take it slow at the movies, but Hrithik Roshan knows how to keep the box office under his spell. With his latest release War becoming his biggest opener at Rs 51.6 crore, the superstar has bounced back. Add the smashing success of Super 30 earlier this year, and Roshan agrees that 2019 has turned the tide in his favour.

However, box-office numbers were the last thing on his mind when he signed on the hyper-stylised actioner. After intense acts in Kaabil (2017) and Super 30, he was itching to be part of a tentpole movie. "I had been waiting to do an action entertainer for almost five years. My last film in this genre was Bang Bang [2014]. Also, I enjoy playing characters who are composed and intelligent. Such characters are hard to write, so I was happy when I found a script that matched my expectations," says Roshan. Tell him how his chiselled look — with flecks of grey in his hair — has become a talking point, and he beams, "I decided to keep my hair grey. I also added freckles to my face so that people understand the years of experience this character has. Siddharth [Anand, director] was worried that fans may not like this ageing look, but I was confident."

If War was a safe bet, Super 30 was its antithesis. With a story rooted in reality, the Anand Kumar biopic was a gamble for Roshan. "There was a lot of chatter that I am a miscast and I will never be able to pull the role off. But the film's success was a validation for me. If my instincts are right, a film's failure or success doesn't matter. I was driven by strong instincts for both films."