Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 14, 2020)

In March 1998, I arrived at Rakesh Roshan’s Santa Cruz office one afternoon for a chat with the producer-director on his next film, Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai, which marked the debut of his son Hrithik. “You missed him by a few minutes, he just left” he told me regretfully. Looking at the photographs on the walls, I pointed out that Hrithik was still there with us.

With his lean six-foot frame, macho stubble and smouldering eyes, he looked like a ’90s Rambo rather than another turn-of-the-century Romeo. Papa, however, pointed out that “Hrithik is a boy with deep emotions, more suited to love stories”. He didn’t want to play around with the rich-boy-falls-in-love-with-poor-girl cliché. “I wanted a hint of mystery,” he reminisced. And one day, a story just came to him. “A story where the hero dies in the first half.”

Back then, Raj Kapoor’s granddaughter and Randhir and Babita’s younger daughter, Kareena Kapoor, was the leading lady. Eventually though, Ameesha Patel went on to play Sonia, Rohit’s girlfriend and Raj’s wife. The change in cast made little difference to the outcome. Kaho Naa… opened on January 14, 2000, to an overwhelming response. It was Hrithik’s film all the way and he went on to not only sweep the best debutant (male) awards, but also beat Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan to the best actor trophy, playing two contrasting characters with ease that came from months of hard work. Interestingly, at one of the award shows, Kareena presented him with the best actor award. When she opened the envelope and saw his name, she quipped, “It’s very obvious…” reinforcing public opinion.

Hrithik had worked with his father as an assistant for five years before he was signed for Shekhar Kapur’s Ta Ra Rum Pum, which was to also feature Preity Zinta. But the film didn’t take off. Then, one day, while he was doing the rounds of producers’ offices with his portfolio, his father dropped a bombshell, casually informing him that he’d be doing his next film. “I was so stunned I quietly walked out of the room. Dad followed, asking, ‘Aren’t you ready? Don’t you want to do the film?’ he had reminisced back then. Hrithik being Hrithik say much. He simply got a photo session done and it was only when his father liked the pictures, did he start prepping for a career in films, going on for voice training, dialogue classes and even learning music.

At an award function in 1999, before the release of his film, he had wowed a 5000-plus audience when he had rolled into stage in a snazzy blue sports car and twirled to one of my favourite numbers from the film, “Kyun Chalti Hai Pavan” with the grace of a ballerino. As part of the act, he also joined the velvet-voiced Lucky Ali who was crooning the song live, picked up the mic himself. And even though Aamir Khan in absentia bagged the best actor award that year for Sarfarosh, it was HR who was voted the Hero No. 1 of the evening.

Interestingly, Lucky Ali had never given playback for a film before and only did it because the Roshan brothers were good friends. In fact, Rajesh Roshan had debuted as a composer with Kunwara Baap, directed by Lucky’s father Mehmood, who also acted in the 1974 film. While on firsts, Rajesh Roshan was also the first music director to give Alka Yagnik a break in Basu Chatterjee’s Hamari Bahu Alka. Eighteen years later, she sang the title track of Kaho Naa… Farah Khan, the film’s choreographer, recalled how, while filming “Ek Pal Ka Jeena”, one of her assistants had given Hrithik some really tough moves as a joke. Unfazed, he kept rehearsing till he got them down pat. After seeing the rushes and realising what a super dancer he was, Farah decided to re-shoot portions of the song, giving Hrithik some really difficult steps. He pulled them off too.

It’s been 20 years… Hrithik’s still urging the audience, “Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai”, and the answer to that is still a resounding “Kaha Naa Pyaar Hai.”