What makes Hrithik tick?

Young, hip and cool, Hrithik Roshan is the ‘it’ boy today. Men want to be him and moonstruck girls want to be ‘his’. Already-married women want him as their brother — he received as many as 3,500 rakhis this year. His face stares back at you from just about everywhere — from a barber’s shop to the back of a bus. Reportedly, he has been offered a staggering sum to do a major Hollywood film too.

It’s no state secret that Hrithik is the biggest influence in Bollywood today, but what everybody wants to know is how this unasssuming 26-year old got there.

Hrithik wowed audiences and critics in his maiden effort, the musical thriller, Kaho Na Pyar Hai. Eight months later, his performance in his sophomore effort, Fiza, was appreciated once again by both fans and critics. But to suggest that it’s only the success of these two films which accounts for the Hrithik Effect would be rather naive.

The Hrithik Effect is the fruit of the seeds of humility and hard work that were sown much earlier in life. A scholastically bright kid in school, Hrithik was nevertheless born to be in films — a fact corroborated by family friend Mohan Kumar. He remembers, “At my son Rohit’s party, when a young Hrithik danced to a film song, he was the cynosure of all eyes.” Hrithik had a childhood brush with acting — he played a small role in his dad’s Bhagwan Dada — and the consequent adulation, limited though it may have been, only fanned his ambitions further. But his father Rakesh wanted him to go through the grind and be a witness to the grime before he donned the greasepaint and staked a claim on glamour. Hrithik assisted his dad on the sets from Khel to Koyla. On one occasion when a sweeper failed to turn up, he watched his dad sweep the shooting floors. After he lived through his initial embarrassment, Hrithik was impressed by his father’s humility and secretly decided to imbibe this quality.

When the unit went on an outdoor, his dad and the top stars stayed in the best hotel while Hrithik lived in a lesser hotel with the rest of the unit members. The only concession Roshan Sr. made for his son — and that too at the latter’s request — was to let him use the bathroom in his dad’s suite.

Not surprisingly, today, Hrithik, despite his increasing fame, values the worth of all that he has achieved. Having witnessed at close quarters his dad’s plight when he had to put up with star quirks, he understands the predicament of a producer. These are the qualities that have impressed vocal Hrithik supporters like Subhash Ghai, who has put his money where his mouth is and cast Hrithik in his Yaadein. Ghai attributes the Hrithik appeal to the fact that, “Despite so much success, he remains singularly humble and disciplined.”

Speaking of Hrithik’s discipline, a few weeks before the launch of Kaho Na Pyar Hai, Hrithik approached Salman Khan (whom he had befriended during the making of his dad’s Karan Arjun) and asked him for tips on bodybuilding. Salman invited him to his gym and even gave him tips on his diet. This foresight to jump onto the muscle wagon has paid Hrithik huge dividends today. In Fiza, an entire music piece has been designed for a scene in which Hrithik, dressed in a singlet, flaunts his s‘pec’tacular muscles much to the delight of his female fans. He is undoubtedly the prime pin-up boy today.

And another ace in Hrithik’s deck is his boyish look. He’s gifted with a winning smile and surprisingly thick, wavy hair (baldness is hereditary in the Roshan family). His brown, please-love-me eyes serve as a perfect foil to the otherwise long and slender nose. Add a dash of ‘every guy’ charm and pack the hunk in 517 Levis jeans and a white shirt and you know why he is the best candidate for teen flicks today.

But, Hrithik who admires Raj Kapoor for his versatility, has made sure that the romantic image doesn’t hem him in. Having made a mark he is not going to allow his brand value to erode. His bag of films includes rough 'n' tough stuff like Mission Kashmir as well as fluff like Na Tum Jano Na Hum and Aap Mujhe Acchhe Lagne Lage. On the cards are Karan Johar’s Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham where he will be pitted against Shah Rukh Khan and dad Rakesh Roshan’s Karodpati co-starring Preity Zinta. And, if all goes well, as mentioned earlier a Hollywood biggie.

Hrithik’s appeal today, like an internet connection, communicates at a universal level. And as long as has the modem of modesty he will connect — instantly. For most importantly, this high flyer is well grounded.