Time Travel With Hrithik Roshan

Thursday, 11 August 2016
In a Skype interview with Masala! ahead of his mega release Mohenjo Daro, Hrithik Roshan lets us into his complicated relationship with history
It’s 12.30pm and we are waiting for Hrithik Roshan to appear on screen. A computer screen that is. It’s a Skype interview, rather unusual since we are so used to meeting stars in the city for promotions but as the actor later joked, ‘‘What’s technology for?’’
Soon enough there’s a buzz and the virtual Hrithik appears, greeting us with a big ‘‘Hi, how are you doing?’’ He looks fresh, happy and rather upbeat. There’s just a few days to go for Mohenjo Daro, Ashutosh Gowariker’s magnum opus produced by UTV, to hit the screens (this interview was conducted before the release) and the film has been a subject of many discussions already. Unfortunately, not all of it, positive. The Ashutosh-UTV-Hrithik combination that gave us the wonderful Jodhaa Akbar a few years ago seems to be on a slippery ground given the tepid response to the trailers and the plethora of articles questioning the veracity of the facts depicted. Hrithik, however, seems unperturbed. He has been vociferously defending his director’s vision. His reason? One doesn’t really know what exactly happened in that era or how it ended, so a filmmaker is entitled to his imagination. Fair point, we guess. After all, what is cinema without cinematic liberty! Ashutosh Gowariker would indeed be proud of his leading man’s passion for the project.
   We decide not to question him yet again on the contentious subject and focus on his pet project instead. And the actor didn’t hold back. Part philosophical, part funny and a lot positive, Hrithik spoke from his heart about his work….
On His ‘Dislike’ For History
I never enjoyed history, I was not good at it in school at all! Funny isn’t it, considering I have done two big movies in this genre! What excites me more is the emotional journey of the character I have played. As a subject too, it never interested me. I mean I never really understood why we needed to learn all those dates and how they would help me. I know I have never used any of those dates in my life! Too much attention is given to teaching events, memorising and what do they call it… umm… mugging! Gosh, it’s a word I haven’t used in a long time. So as I said, it’s just mugging the dates and events without going into the whys and hows of it.
Now I do understand why history is important. It’s because it teaches us a lot about human nature, giving us a sense of belonging and where we come from. So yes, it’s important!
On Hollywood Versus Bollywood
Oh they do historicals really well, don’t they? Some of their biggest entertainers are either medieval or historical. They do it so well on television too, take a look at Game of Thrones. I cannot choose a favourite film, there really are far too many.
On Mohenjo Daro Being Just Another Love Story
Yes, it is a very simple story and that’s what intrigued me. And that’s why I said that in this techno-crazy day and age of neon lights, fast-paced romance, WhatsApp and Snapchat, here is something that may inspire people to go a little slow! Just breathe…as they say in yoga, “Slow down your breath and you will go faster.” So that is what I enjoyed in the script as well.
On Choosing His Roles
I really don’t like to limit myself when it comes to anything in my art of acting. I love being surprised. For instance, I could never imagine myself playing the role of Akbar. Never. Even when I was offered the film, I was like, “Are you serious? Me? Akbar? No ya!” So I love when somebody imagines me in a different character that surprises me as an actor too. It also inspires me to find out and push my own limits. I really enjoy (pushing my boundaries). I like being surprised. So if you ask me about my favourite character or what I would like to play, then I don’t have an answer. I have absolutely no characters in my head that I want to play. 
On ‘Perfectionist’ Director Ashutosh
Yes, he has a habit of getting into details much more than me! Frankly, at times, I had to stop him and tell him it’s okay to go a bit slow! But he would keep pushing the actors and crew for more. So from that point of view, I think I eased out a lot, though he was still persistent on getting it absolutely right. That way our energies matched perfectly on the sets!