Hrithik is full of magic in Guzaarish

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By Manjusha Radhakrishnan, Senior Reporter (Gulf News) Hrithik Roshan isn't just a pretty face on a hot bod. In his latest film, Guzaarish, the heartthrob has a few tricks up his sleeve Bollywood megastar Hrithik Roshan is strikingly handsome with a sculpted body to boot. But in his latest drama, Guzaarish (Request), Roshan doesn't fall back on his usual crutches. He plays Ethan Mascarenhas, a magician who is severely paralysed. His fuzzy beard hides his well-chiselled features. But the Dhoom 2 star is undeterred. "You said it: I am not drawing on my usual skills here. Acting in Guzaarish was like an adventure because it allowed me to explore my talents as an actor. Ethan is the happiest man I have played on-screen, and he is the biggest hero I have every played," says Roshan in an interview with tabloid!. Sound like a hard-sell? Not so much, especially coming from an actor billed as Bollywood's first certified super-hero. His sci-fi thrillers — Koi Mil Gaya and its sequel, Krrish — are considered his biggest hits to date. The films are Bollywood's answer to Superman, with Roshan swooping down skyscrapers in a shiny black body-suit. "I met the true super-heroes while prepping for my role. I met many quadriplegic patients and realised that these people are the world's true super-heroes. When I came out of their room, I knew there was so much happiness emanating from them. They were smiling and laughing despite what they were going through. That's the gift of Guzaarish — it changed my perspective about how I look at the world." Third outing Guzaarish, directed by award-winning Sanjay Leela Bhansali, is about a relationship that develops between a quadriplegic man and his nurse (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan). The love story — the third Ash-Hrithik outing after the successful Dhoom 2 and Jodhaa Akbar — also touches on the widely-debated subject of euthanasia. But ask Roshan about it, and he claims that the film is not about mercy-killing. "Yes, euthanasia is a part of the film, yet Guzaarish is not about it. It's about the triumph of the human spirit. "Ethan is not a man who gave up on life, despite being paralysed for 15 long years. Strong-willed and happy, he has a full life during his paralysis. Remember, he lets go only when his body begins to deteriorate and starts to give up on him. He wants to go before he turns into a vegetable." The film has several complicated layers, adds the 36-year-old. And, who better than Bollywood's go-to director for disability-centric films to head the project? Bhansali's debut film was Khamoshi — a drama about a girl's struggle to communicate with her deaf-mute parents — and his acclaimed feature Black, starring Amitabh Bachchan and Rani Mukherji, revolved around a deaf and blind girl's relationship with her mentor. His reputation of being an eccentric taskmaster also precedes him. But Roshan jumps to his defence when you ask him about being directed by the maverick filmmaker. ‘All-consuming passion' "Yes, I have heard about his reputation, but I am sorry to tell you that it's all a bunch of lies. Mr Bhansali is the calmest director I have worked with. People just misconstrue his all-consuming passion. Many people just don't understand that kind of energy." He adds that he sees a slice of himself in Bhansali. "I am very similar, because sometimes when a scene drives me crazy, I wake up in the middle of the night at 4am to go through the lines again. I am in the same world as he is. I understand it and I love that about him. I used that energy to portray Ethan." But the Jodhaa Akbar star's best efforts have not always translated into box-office gold. This year, his highly-anticipated romance Kites, starring Mexican actress Barbara Mori, failed to strike a chord with Bollywood buffs. "Nobody really knows about success or failure. I can't foresee all that. I believe in karma, and eventually I know I will get what I deserve. There's no fear, but just a string of shiny, happy days where I go to work smiling. "Even if I encounter failure — you just keep walking." Did you know? Hrithik Roshan is not just flexing his acting muscles in Guzaarish. He has even sung a song to lend authenticity to his character.

By Manjusha Radhakrishnan, Senior Reporter (Gulf News)

Hrithik Roshan isn't just a pretty face on a hot bod. In his latest film, Guzaarish, the heartthrob has a few tricks up his sleeve

Bollywood megastar Hrithik Roshan is strikingly handsome with a sculpted body to boot. But in his latest drama, Guzaarish (Request), Roshan doesn't fall back on his usual crutches. He plays Ethan Mascarenhas, a magician who is severely paralysed. His fuzzy beard hides his well-chiselled features. But the Dhoom 2 star is undeterred.

"You said it: I am not drawing on my usual skills here. Acting in Guzaarish was like an adventure because it allowed me to explore my talents as an actor. Ethan is the happiest man I have played on-screen, and he is the biggest hero I have every played," says Roshan in an interview with tabloid!.

Sound like a hard-sell? Not so much, especially coming from an actor billed as Bollywood's first certified super-hero. His sci-fi thrillers — Koi Mil Gaya and its sequel, Krrish — are considered his biggest hits to date. The films are Bollywood's answer to Superman, with Roshan swooping down skyscrapers in a shiny black body-suit.

"I met the true super-heroes while prepping for my role. I met many quadriplegic patients and realised that these people are the world's true super-heroes. When I came out of their room, I knew there was so much happiness emanating from them. They were smiling and laughing despite what they were going through. That's the gift of Guzaarish — it changed my perspective about how I look at the world."

Third outing

Guzaarish, directed by award-winning Sanjay Leela Bhansali, is about a relationship that develops between a quadriplegic man and his nurse (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan). The love story — the third Ash-Hrithik outing after the successful Dhoom 2 and Jodhaa Akbar — also touches on the widely-debated subject of euthanasia. But ask Roshan about it, and he claims that the film is not about mercy-killing. "Yes, euthanasia is a part of the film, yet Guzaarish is not about it. It's about the triumph of the human spirit.

"Ethan is not a man who gave up on life, despite being paralysed for 15 long years. Strong-willed and happy, he has a full life during his paralysis. Remember, he lets go only when his body begins to deteriorate and starts to give up on him. He wants to go before he turns into a vegetable."

The film has several complicated layers, adds the 36-year-old. And, who better than Bollywood's go-to director for disability-centric films to head the project? Bhansali's debut film was Khamoshi — a drama about a girl's struggle to communicate with her deaf-mute parents — and his acclaimed feature Black, starring Amitabh Bachchan and Rani Mukherji, revolved around a deaf and blind girl's relationship with her mentor. His reputation of being an eccentric taskmaster also precedes him. But Roshan jumps to his defence when you ask him about being directed by the maverick filmmaker.

‘All-consuming passion'

"Yes, I have heard about his reputation, but I am sorry to tell you that it's all a bunch of lies. Mr Bhansali is the calmest director I have worked with. People just misconstrue his all-consuming passion. Many people just don't understand that kind of energy."

He adds that he sees a slice of himself in Bhansali. "I am very similar, because sometimes when a scene drives me crazy, I wake up in the middle of the night at 4am to go through the lines again. I am in the same world as he is. I understand it and I love that about him. I used that energy to portray Ethan."

But the Jodhaa Akbar star's best efforts have not always translated into box-office gold. This year, his highly-anticipated romance Kites, starring Mexican actress Barbara Mori, failed to strike a chord with Bollywood buffs.

"Nobody really knows about success or failure. I can't foresee all that. I believe in karma, and eventually I know I will get what I deserve. There's no fear, but just a string of shiny, happy days where I go to work smiling.

"Even if I encounter failure — you just keep walking."

Did you know?

Hrithik Roshan is not just flexing his acting muscles in Guzaarish. He has even sung a song to lend authenticity to his character.