Hrithik Roshan and Priyanka Chopra in KrrishRakesh Roshan

The Singaporeans treat him like one of them. And why not? On Rakesh Roshan lies the responsibility of showcasing their country to the rest of the world. The man himself spent a good 60 days shooting in the Lion City, after having made three recce trips to scout locations. So when the actor-turned-director walks on the footbridges and quays of Singapore, you can mistake him for a ?local? Indian on his way to work.

And what work! With help from a whole lot of sponsors ? try and count them as you watch the movie ? and, of course, the Singapore Tourism Board, Rakesh Roshan has placed Rs 50 crore on the broad shoulders of Krrish. Because, he wants to ?take Hindi films to the next level?.

Having been inspired by The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Rakesh decided to take the story of Koi? Mil Gaya forward. Koi Tumsa Nahin, named after one of the lilting ballads in the soundtrack was the proposed title, but it became Krrish once numerology raised its timely head.

?Krrish is an entirely different film from Koi? Mil Gaya and even Hrithik is not playing the same character,? Rakesh says, not perturbed by the appalling success rate of sequels in Bollywood. ?Here there?s no Jadoo (the alien who gave special powers to Hrithik?s character in KMG), only Jadoo ka karishma.?

What makes Krrish unique is that the sequel has brought about a change of genre ? from a sci-fi alien film to a superhero action adventure. It has also automatically placed the movie opposite Superman Returns which releases worldwide this Friday. ?I believe Superman Returns and Krrish are two very different films,? Rakesh argues. ?The main difference lies in the fact that Krrish is Indian. Also, both stories have their own plots. I would go on to say Krrish is different to any film that has been made.?

The backdrop itself makes the film look very different. No Indian film has shown Singapore the way Krrish does, with more than 60 per cent of the film shot in different locations around the country. ?The second half of my script demanded a foreign location and when I came to Singapore for the IIFA Awards in 2004, what struck me about the place was that everything was within a few kilometres,? Rakesh goes into flashback mode. ?The Singapore Tourism Board was also looking for Indian film-makers to shoot here. Our paths met and destiny led me to set my film here.?

Incorporating the most scenic of Singapore locations was a challenge not new to Rakesh. ?I never choose locations randomly and then pass them off in my film as some other locations,? he states, with more than a touch of pride in his voice. ?Locations have always been integral parts of my films, whether Bangkok or New Zealand or Canada or Singapore. And the films in turn have helped the tourism boards of the country. New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clarke gave us a present for helping to spruce up the tourist count of the country through Kaho Naa? Pyaar Hai. You can call Singapore a character in my film.?

But it wasn?t easy getting 200-ft cranes to meander across the busy roads and have 200 local extras do as directed in a controlled atmosphere. ?It is always a tough call to shoot on roads and on real locations and also use helicopters for the shots,? Rakesh explains. ?But the Board helped us through all that. They put special advertisements in the papers and shut down roads so that we could shoot in peace. Robinson Road, which is a very important road in the city, was closed for three weeks every Saturday and Sunday.?

Now that Krrish has released, Rakesh?s concerns are not about shooting schedules but things like merchandising and international-language dubbing. ?There will be everything from Krrish toys and T-Shirts to water bottles and tiffin boxes,? he says. ?As for the dubbing, it?s released in Tamil and Telugu in India, apart from Hindi. I have also sold the rights to dub Krrish in German, Spanish and Malay. If there?s a demand to dub it in Chinese (close to 80 per cent of the Singapore population is Chinese), I have no problems.?

Whatever be the language, does Krrish have the steam and the stunts to complete the hit hattrick after Kaho Naa? Pyaar Hai and Koi? Mil Gaya? ?Every film has its own destiny but all I can say is that I cannot visualise any other actor doing what Hrithik has done in the film,? says the proud father. ?And I am telling you all this not because he is my son. Krrish is about his personality, the own shades that he has added to the character? Only he could have done this.?