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On the day his new film was going before the public for a final verdict, Hrithik Roshan woke up late for his first appointment of the day. He rushed in with a flurry of apologies at 12 noon for an 11 ’clock meeting.
Was he nervous about the fate of Kites? “If I were nervous I would’ve been up at 6.30am and I would’ve read all the papers. I would not have slept so well or woken up so late,” he said expansively, smiling despite having received damning reports about his latest release from a trade pundit. “I’m not nervous, a little anxious maybe, but not nervous.”
One would’ve thought his dad and he would’ve been up and about keeping tabs on every show.
“I’ve been through all that and (giving a little laugh), it doesn’t matter.”
The setback of Kites is only a temporary setback for the Roshans who are far too talented and far too dedicated to their medium to be really felled by one box-office failure. But there are two noticeable changes in Hrithik Roshan today. One, he has started smoking when most others are working towards kicking the butt. It’s thanks to a film called Guzaarish where his character Ethan smokes. Hrithik picked up the habit while filming Ethan.
The second big change is that Hrithik has turned to philosophy in a big way. Probably, Guzaarish has something to do with that as well since he plays a paraplegic on a wheelchair who fights a legal battle for the right to end his life. Filming it over 10 tense months, Hrithik began to see life from the perspective of a man facing death and the transitory nature of life stared him in the face. Playing Ethan has changed his life forever.
There are many firsts in Hrithik’s life this year. Kites is the first film from the famous father-son team that has not been accepted by the Indian audience. With Guzaarish due to release in the second half of 2010, this is one rare year when Hrithik will have two films out in the same year.
“Yes,” he confirmed, “there will be two releases this year and then Zoya’s film will come in quick succession because we’re going to shoot it over a two-and-a-half month schedule and it’ll be done. So there will be three films, almost back-to-back.”
Hrithik will be in Mumbai until June 1 when he will fly to Spain for Zoya Akhtar’s new movie (working title Running With The Bulls) which will co-star Farhan Akhtar, Katrina Kaif and Abhay Deol. “This is the maximum time I’ve ever had after a film’s release,” Hrithik pointed out. “Usually I get five or six days post-release and I’m off for my next film. This is the maximum time I’ve had, I have more than a week here (after the release of Kites) which is great.”
Hrithik will be back on time to start the promotion of Guzaarish. But Abhay Deol is not so lucky. Anil Kapoor’s home production, Aaisha which is slated for release on August 8, would have kick-started its publicity campaign long before Abhay returns from Spain. “Yeah, poor guy, he’s running around completing our dubbing,” laughed Rhea, Anil’s second daughter who’s producing Aaisha. Although the film was shot in sync sound, some parts which were not clear have to be dubbed in a studio. Meanwhile, Abhay has been giving a spate of interviews to various TV channels on the express condition that they won’t telecast them until the Aaisha promotion starts. “That’s true,” nodded Anil Kapoor. “He’s been going round the bend completing all his work here before going to Spain.”
The first promo of Aaisha will be screened in the theatres in June, along with Mani Ratnam’s Raavan.
By the way, there’s a distinct buzz about Katrina Kaif’s performance in Raajneeti where she has taken on the walk and the dressing style of Sonia Gandhi but plays a character similar to Draupadi in Mahabharata. She has both brothers Arjun Rampal and Ranbir Kapoor opposite her. Since Prakash Jha, Nana Patekar and Ajay Devgn are all National Award winners, everybody’s going on about Katrina doing Raajneeti because she’s got her eye fixed on the prestigious award. But few know that Katrina is a very ambitious girl. Kareena Kapoor may have beaten her to it by bagging Madhur Bhandarkar’s film Heroine, but Katrina has been quietly talking to the filmmaker, making it clear that she wants to work with him. And Madhur, as is widely acknowledged, has this reputation of extracting a performance worthy of the National Award from all his heroines.
