Source: TelegraphIndia
By: Bharathi S. Pradhan
After a rather subdued 12 months, the Roshan family has been activated again. For one, get ready for a splash of Jodhaa Akbar as Ashutosh Gowariker's team has smartly planned a blitzkrieg. Interviews and photo sessions have begun, Hrithik Roshan will be the cover boy of at least two film glossies in January, with many more to follow all through the first month of the new year. But unlike the overdrive that Shah Rukh and Sanjay Leela Bhansali went into this Diwali, Hrithik Roshan isn't too keen to bombard the channels with his presence. Right now there is no desire to be a guest on every reality show which, anyway, is getting to be too predictable to be palatable. After the Om Shanti Om and Saawariya teams showed the way, John, Bipasha and the ubiquitous football followed suit but laid a duck at the box office. So aggressive promotion on every Sa Re Ga Ma Pa and Nach Baliye (and their counterparts on other channels) is not on the cards for the Jodhaa-Akbar cast. Hopefully, Ashutosh has something more tasteful up his sleeve.
A little bird from Karjat whispers that while Hrithik respects Ashutosh the filmmaker and person, he isn't particularly delighted by the inordinate delay in the making and release of Jodhaa Akbar. All through 2007 Hrithik has been absent from the screen but he's going to make up for it in the new year.
"I'd like to do 10 films next year!" laughs Hrithik. "If only I could find 10 scripts that excite me enough to want to do them."
What he is doing right now is resting his knees — three years of relentless, demanding physical work (Krrish, Dhoom:2, Jodhaa Akbar) have taken their toll. The doctors have advised him to give his body a rest or else. In fact, last Sunday Hrithik told me that his doctors were even scouring the globe to find him a nice getaway where he can rejuvenate himself before the Jodhaa juggernaut rolls with endless media appearances.
The huge release apart, Hrithik Roshan will begin the year by also shooting a promotional dance number for Krazy 4, the first film in recent years that Rakesh Roshan has produced but not directed. "Hopefully it will be retained in the film as well," says Hrithik.
The surprise in 2008 is that Rakesh Roshan has two big films to announce — and he won't direct either of them, not even the Krrish sequel. "I was very impressed by Rang De Basanti," explains Rakesh Roshan. So when its director Rakeysh Mehra casually told Hrithik's dad that he'd like to make a film like Krrish and could he have a go at its sequel, RR was only too happy to hand him the assignment. The Roshans are being extremely practical about it. Instead of possessively holding on to Krrish, Rakesh Roshan remarks since he has already made Koi…Mil Gaya and Krrish, a new director would bring to the sequel a new sensibility and a new vision. "Abroad too, something like the Superman series is produced by the same studio but directed by different people," points out Rakesh Roshan. "Besides," says he, "Hrithik will also get to work with a new director."
Make that two new directors. Making quite a departure from norm, Rakesh Roshan personally called up Anurag Basu to come and make a film for them. It's all because of a film called Gangster. "I was looking at the nominations of various awards last year when I kept seeing Gangster among all the big, known names. I got curious and got a DVD of the film." The film-maker in Rakesh Roshan recognised the rare talent of Anurag Basu and called him up. Today, the Filmkraft banner is making a film that will star Hrithik Roshan with Anurag Basu as director. "Yes, the film with Anurag is definitely on," says the actor.
In fact, before the Krrish sequel, the month of April will see Hrithik being directed by Anurag in a Rakesh Roshan production. Meanwhile, Krazy 4 will be ready for a May audience.
To top all that activity, Hrithik and Susanne are expecting their second baby in early 2008. So there's going to be plenty of action all through the new year — new films and a new baby. "Yes, but one's got nothing to do with the other," laughs Hrithik Roshan.
The relief of being back in circulation after being cooped up in a studio in Karjat is all too evident.
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