‘I’VE ALWAYS SEEN MYSELF AS PART OF ‘INDIAN’ FILMS’

On his birthday today, Hrithik Roshan waxes philosophical on learnings, his goals for 2023, and the north-south debate
Rishabh Suri (HINDUSTAN TIMES; January 10, 2023)

Peace, happiness and contentment — Hrithik Roshan has place only for these in his life right now. His resolution for 2023 is “to be more social”. And age is definitely just a number for the actor, who is busy with Fighter, his next. Turning 49 today, he is more vocal than ever about the man behind the star the world recognises. Excerpts from a chat:

Any special plans for today? Do birthdays still excite you?
I used to see it as a fun day but then somewhere along the way it started becoming a chore, a duty, must celebrate, must party... Birthdays came with a slight sense of discomfort. But today, I see it as an opportunity to spend time doing things that would fulfil me. I may still do the exact same things, but now it’s out of my own desire and sense of fulfilment rather than a self-imposed mandate.

People say 49 years old, but it’s 49 years wiser, isn’t it? What’s been the biggest life learning?
That peace is not high up there at the top of the pyramid that we hope to reach someday after all the work is done... Or at the end of the day’s work. It is, in fact, the base and foundation of every thing and every action in every moment. We need to start at peace. The very state of being at the beginning should be peace.

A north vs south debate has been raging on, especially since 2022. As a pan India star, what’s your take on this?
I have always seen myself be a part of the Indian film industry, which is a part of the larger global community striving to entertain. I’d take no part in any debate that says otherwise.

A celeb of your stature has the power to influence millions. You recently got vocal about how physically transforming for War (2019) took a toll on you even mentally. How can younger people out there come out stronger from such a situation?
It wasn’t the transformation — that part is hard work, which I enjoy — it was the heady approach to the movie right till the release. I wasn’t ready for War, where the characters Kabir and Khalid were supposed to go head-to-head in an all-out action movie. Doing films like Kaabil (2017) and Super 30 (2019) had made me lazy. I literally broke parts of me trying to achieve the vision of Kabir in my head. And when the applause and success came, it failed to fill me up. People thought I was that guy on screen — while the human I am, the sacrifices, the broken pieces went completely unseen. That’s when I knew I was on the cusp of something important for my self-growth. I went into a shell for months nursing my physical and mental self back to health. And swore I would do it right the next time around. The problem is, my vision is greater than I can ever be. I’m constantly playing catch up with it. It’s time to reconcile.