Hrithik Roshan speaks on stardom, false reports in the Press and even his fans in Fiji Islands

The one hour wait to meet Hrithik Roshan in his expensive suite at the Venetian Macao Resort was not a waste of time. Moments before the door to his suite opened, a person carrying a clutch of bags entered. During the interview Roshan said his wife was all over Macao and she thoroughly enjoyed it.

What it means to be a star?

I don’t know what it means to be a star. I know what it means to be an actor. It’s a job that I do, it’s a means to an end. I work hard so that I can enjoy a life that I want to have with my family and loved ones. What it means to be a star? I don’t even want to know what that means. All I know that it’s stressful and it’s used by some people to fill up that empty void which is a bottomless pit, which is the ego. I try and stay away from that.

You’ve never challenged the false reports in the Press.

I’ve always been the kind of guy I am. I’ve never had confrontations with guys I don’t know. I’m a peaceful guy. I live by my truths and that’s what I believe in. I think if you are happy with your truths, it doesn’t matter what somebody else has to say. If I’m walking down a street and somebody says, “Hey, Hrithik doesn’t have a right arm,” I wouldn’t turn back, abuse him and say, “I do have a right arm”. I know I’ve a right arm. I’ll keep on working. The world is out to provoke you. My grandfather said if you get provoked, it would be my downfall. If I come out there and jump at you, I would look silly; it will implicate that something’s wrong. I’m happy the way I am.

Fans in Fiji Islands!

I get a lot of mails from Fiji Islands. I had no idea that I’ve so many fans there. I’ve never been there but I hope that I could go there on a vacation.

Why didn’t you promote Kites at The Videocon IIFA?

That was a decision contemplated on for long. We still don’t know the exact date of the release of the film. We should step back for a little while and go with the flow. The background music and dubbing is taking place now. Once my father decides on a release day, all systems will be in action.

Staying away from negative roles…

If you see the amount of films I’ve okayed and done, you would see I do one film every year. I want to do more films every year but it somehow doesn’t turnout to be like that. But I’ve no reservation about doing a completely negative character. The idea is to explore the boundaries of my talent. If I find something very exciting and scares the living daylights out of me, I would say yes to it.

The IIFA Foundation

As an actor I find it to be one of the finest forms of acknowledgement. As a human being, I think of it not just as an institution, an award function. It’s trying to help and give something back to the world. IIFA charity was founded years ago and I’ve done my bit. The green initiative is also an important aspect of IIFA.

Why one film a year?

There was a point in my life ~ in 2000 ~ when everybody was doing a lot of films. The premise was that you have to do a lot of films and not which film one would like to do. I kept on doing films, even three a year. Finally one film came my way ~ Koi… Mil Gaya. I arrived at the sets and told my dad I couldn’t shoot. The next two days I spent in a hotel room. That’s when I decided that I would do films for which I feel a hundred per cent. I should be able to give my right arm for that film. When I look at all the films I’ve done, my level of excitement balances with my level of fear, which coincides with the level of work I put in and eventually determines the level of success of my films. It’s all about first instinct. I will be where I am. So, why not trust my first instincts. When you leap without a safety net, the excitement is different. There are people who do four-five films a year and think one would be a hit. That’s also a risk. But to each his own. I know if I leap and fall, I would die. This way I will always put in my all into any film.

Your father is an inspiration for you?

All that I’ve learnt is because of my father. I watch him even now tirelessly. When I’m his age, I would ask myself, do I have the same energy?

Anything for the younger generation…

There’s no one thing that would show them the light. They have to trust themselves and enjoy what they do. If you want to be a star, it’s not the right approach. That would be a wrong end one is pursuing. Acting is living in front of the camera. In your life if you are living with inhibitions, you wouldn’t be able to duplicate those emotions in front of the camera. If you cannot live a moment, you cannot express it.