Hrithik Roshan has done many experimental films throughout his career. But if there's one movie that proved his true potential as an actor, it has to be
Koi... Mil Gaya. It was Bollywood's first sci-fi movie that showcased otherworldly creatures like aliens. While Jaadu, the alien, won several hearts, Hrithik's performance as Rohit, a mentally challenged boy, was highly praised.
The movie saw a re-release in cinemas on August 4 as it completed 20 years. The Rakesh Roshan directorial brought together a spectacular ensemble of Hrithik Roshan, Preity Zinta, Rekha, and Johnny Lever
in prominent roles. It also saw many child actors, like Hansika Motwani, at their best.
In a recent interview, the Vikram Vedha actor opened up about how he got into the skin of a mentally challenged boy whose life was transformed overnight. It is shocking to know where he drew his inspiration to play Rohit from.
Hrithik Roshan on being bullied in school
As Koi... Mil Gaya completed 20 years of its release, the father-son duo recalled their own perspectives on looking at the film as a filmmaker and an actor. When asked about his inspiration for playing mentally impaired Rohit,
Hrithik Roshan said he drew quite a few references from his personal life experiences.
'Academically speaking, of course there was a DNA match, and I took a lot of it from my life. I had
experienced bullying when I was in school, and I had a stutter. So, life had already given me the vulnerability that my character needed. This is something that I think is a great lesson for our lives. Whatever we have, good or bad, it can all be used if you just keep your eyes open and wait the time will come," said the actor.
Highlighting his biggest learning experience, Hrithik said, 'This was a learning experience because when I came to the set, I found centering and honesty. The masks of a star and an actor would vanish. It's just me being me, and I learned a lot from that. I found my calling through this film. I needed to be expressed, and the script was everything.'
Why did Hrithik Roshan cry while reading the script?
Traveling down memory lane, the
Super 30 actor recalled his gut's immediate reaction to the script. Hrithik said, 'It took me some 6 to 7 hours to read the script because after every 2-3 pages, I used to sit and cry. I felt a lot for the film. Then I called up my dad and said, Papa, the script is mind-blowing it's fantastic I cried throughout the script.''
The actor also recalled his first day of shooting on the sets of Koi... Ml Gaya.
Hrithik Roshan said, 'I was very nervous. I thought Papa should see what I am doing with everything, like my hair and my clothes. But he didn't see anything until I landed on the first day of the shoot. It was a strange kind of faith that he had in me, and I thought that I should just follow my instinct, and that's what I did.'
He further added, 'My process for every character is to start with the hair. Once I get that right, I start doing other things. So once I got the hair right for Rohit, then I was set.'
On the work front
Hrithik Roshan was last seen in Vikram Vedha alongside Saif Ali Khan. The movie was a South remake that goes by the same name. He will be seen next in
Siddharth Anand's Fighter. The movie also stars Deepika Padukone and Anil Kapoor in prominent roles.
He also has War 2 in the pipeline.
