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Hrithik has finally signed the Rs 35 crore-three-film deal with Adlabs. And the confirmation of this comes straight from the horse’s mouth – Manmohan Shetty himself. “Yes, Hrithik has signed the deal. It is for doing three films with us through three years. That means he will put aside a bulk of his prime dates for doing those films with us.” And what kind of films will they be? Post Krrish, he’s got an action and superhero tag to him. “At this moment, all I can reveal is that we are looking at largerthan-life films with obviously, Hrithik in the lead.” Will Adlabs be including the sequel to Krrish as a part of these three films? “No,” says Manmohan. “That is Rakesh Roshan’s baby and will remain so. We are looking at other scripts. Hrithik has already seen a few of them, and in a couple of months, we should be able to finalise the first film,” he adds.

Rakesh Roshan, on his part, confirms that Hrithik has signed the deal. “Yes. He has signed it. He’s looking at a few scripts now,” he told us. Ask him for further details and he says, “At this moment, only the scripts are being read and readied. As for the rest, I guess Manmohan and Hrithik will have to discuss things.”

But our source gave us a few details. “Hrithik has already heard his first script at his residence a few days back. In fact, he has also accepted the first installment from Adlabs recently. There are three scripts being developed simultaneously which Hrithik will go through and finalise. He is extremely choosy about his characters and maybe that’s the reason he made some changes to the first script as well. The script will be reworked according to the changes,” says our source. Apparently, Hrithik gets to decide his costars, directors and the cast for all the three films. And, if sources are to be believed, John Mathew Mathan will be directing the first film. “Right now, he is one of the names being considered strongly by Adlabs and Hrithik,” says the source.

He’s one of the most stylish actors in Bollywood, thus we decided to ask Hrithik Roshan what he thought about his individual style, and whether he consciously maintained it on screen. “Style is nothing but every individual having confidence in himself,” said Hrithik. “He should not imitate anybody nor be concerned about his looks. The more you are yourself, the more stylish you will look, because every individual has his own style. Style is a mental label that you apply – the person is just being himself. I won’t say that style is very important; it is important to be yourself.” Now you know the secret of Roshan’s style!

Has Krrish has turned you into a children’s icon?
Yes, and it’s a great feeling. They have accepted me both as Rohit, who’s mentally-challenged, and Krrish who’s a super-hero. In Koi Mil Gaya audiences connected emotionally with my character. It was almost an acceptance of the childlike and innocent personality within us, as opposed to the artifice that we all have to assume and project in society. Krissh, on the other hand, is all about the mystique of the perfect exterior… a perfect blend of the real and the ethereal. It’s heartening to know audiences have the compassion and understanding to love the imperfect hero as much as the perfect one. For me it’s a great compliment. The thought of taking on the mantle of the super-hero, especially after playing the frail and vulnerable Rohit, was intimidating. Had I failed as a super-hero I would’ve had a huge fall.

Did you catch Superman Returns?
Yes I did, in Durban. I love Superman. And there can be no competition between Krrish and Superman. They both belong to the same fraternity. Having said that, I must say I definitely missed Christopher Reeve in the new Superman movie. His is a very tough act to follow. I didn’t really think the new actor, Brendan Routh, matched up.

Is your act tough to follow too?
(Laughs) I like the thought. Yes, my next super-hero film will have more of everything. I want to take that film to another level completely. This time there will be no excuses about the budget. We’re going to get technical help from all over the world. We’ll give the next super-hero film our best shot.

The Indian Institute of Management, Indore, has selected Krrish for an international case study
It just adds to the whole excitement of the success of Krrish. It’s a significant acknowledgement of our efforts. I’m really excited. This academic endorsement is exceptional to Indian cinema. This honour acknowledges dad’s acumen as a business strategist. He’s a master of the packaging of a movie too. Filmmaking is not just about telling a good story. It’s also about packaging and marketing. The IIM honour endorses all of this in Krrish.

The IIM will send a case study on Krrish all over the world
I knew the film would have a reach. But I didn’t guess the extent. Except Sholay, none of our films has been academically acknowledged before. So it’s a new achievement.

There was a story about Shah Rukh Khan being annoyed with you while shooting for Arjun Rampal’s film in London together?
I don’t even want to react to such baseless rumours. This is nothing but concoction. Firstly, Shah Rukh and I didn’t even shoot together for Arjun’s film. The shooting was done in London, and Shah Rukh was not present when I was in shooting. Shah Rukh had shot three days before me. I landed in London after his shots were done. Mine was a shot with Arjun, no Shah Rukh. I just had to walk through the shot. It’s as simple as that. I did my shot and went home.

Ask Hrithik if he’s acquired a fixation for superheroes after doing Krrish, and he at once replies, “My fixation is not with superheroes. It is a passion to better our cinema, better myself as an actor and to try and take on the toughest challenges. Koi Mil Gaya was the toughest challenge at that point in time and we took it on. After that Krrish became the next challenge. The essence of life is to strive to keep growing. My competition is with myself. I have to do better than my past.” Now you know how he comes up with such superb performances!

The actor speaks from Namibia, where he is shooting for Dhoom 2. “If I could make a wish for myself, I’d wish that I could fly back to Mumbai right now,” says the superhero. The actor had to leave for the last schedule of Sanjay Gadhvi’s Dhoom 2, in South Africa, just two days after the release of his much- awaited film Krrish. Currently shooting with Abhishek Bachchan, the actor seems to be missing all the fun and the celebrations. “I had to request Sanjay Gadhvi to give me a day off, just to get my heart back from Mumbai, after the post-release excitement of Krrish,” jokes Hrithik.

The actor wants to come to Mumbai and be with his papa and see the reaction to his film. Now, Rakesh Roshan has added a new song in the promo. “We have still not added the song in the film. People have liked it the way it has been shot and released. We’ll wait and see, if needed we can add the song after a few weeks. I am away from where I want to be, but I am sure the excitement will continue for some time,” says Hrithik.

Hrithik says he didn’t expect the reaction he has been getting. “”I think the achievement is that it’s appealed to people from 3 to 80 years,” he says. “However, I still feel that Krrish is still a long way from competing on a world platform.”

Hrithik Roshan plays a bad boy in Dhoom 2. “I can’t talk about the film and my character,” he says. “Aditya (Chopra) will kill me. But I am sure that you’ll be surprised by me in this film, and it will be a pleasant surprise. Krrish was a mission for me. Now I’m ready for my next big challenge,” he says.

The actor also reiterates his worry about fans trying to duplicate his stunts in India. “I had written an open letter in Mumbai Mirror warning kids not to do so, but I am still worried. Once again, I would like to state that we all have the potential to become a superhero. For that, you don’t have to jump from one skyscraper to another. You can do as much good with just a smile. If my fans love me, they will respect my views I hope,” he says. Hrithik will be back in Mumbai after two months.

If you thought looking good comes naturally to the handsome Hrithik Roshan, think again. Apparently, the actor has been working really hard for his next film – the sequel to Dhoom. But when we commented that looking good in such a film would come easy to him, he replied, “It is not as easy as it sounds. It is almost as difficult as performing well in a challenging role. It requires a lot of work. It doesn’t happen by just thinking about it.” Now we know what it means!

He’s only 32, but he’s seen life akin to a veteran. And thankfully, Hrithik Roshan has none of the cynicism that accompanies experience. He’s been labelled many things, but he believes in keeping himself grounded, taking the rough with as much acceptance as the smooth. “Of course, it feels absolutely amazing when people say complimentary things, but my family and friends have always kept a check on my ego. I refused fantastic and weird offers – evening tea with Prince Charles or representing India at an elite dinner in New York with the American President, or for that matter, being India’s representative to meet Nelson Mandela. I refused a 50-crore offer from a TV channel to lend my voice and face to its programming!”

The dramatic incidents in his life have only made Hrithik stronger. “There is something to learn from every situation,” says the actor. “You understand yourself, you understand life. I think it makes you realise your priorities and brings you closer to the truth. There is no ‘bad’. There’s only ‘good’.”

An optimist to the core, Hrithik is also a perfectionist, like Aamir Khan. “Aamir has far, far more experience and insight into life, into his approach to his work,” protests Hrithik. “I have done just 11 films so far and Aamir has done something close to 45. I believe it is only around the 11th or 12th film that you start to find yourself as an actor, if you’re lucky. I don’t take my work that seriously, as seriously as Aamir does. I base my work more on instinct and less on study. I also have an impulse to have fun with my work at times. But if it is a film like Koi Mil Gaya, things change and I get into study mode. So it depends on the challenge.”

Roshan Jr has a distinctive approach to his movement on screen – just like all successful actors right from Dilip Kumar to Dev Anand to Amitabh Bachchan. Carefully cultivated? “Style is nothing but an individual’s confidence in himself. The more you are yourself; the more stylish you will look. For that, you first have to have an insight about yourself and the things that motivate you. Most of us are not in touch with ourselves. The mind is an organ that you are supposed to use, but instead it ends up controlling you. We have to get in touch with our soul, our spirit. That’s what is important…” he trails off.

Perhaps it’s this spiritual leaning that has made him an actor who is hardly involved in any controversy. “I believe that the person you are eventually becomes your image. I believe in Karma, and I believe in doing things righteously. If someone is being wronged, you must take up for him,” he maintains. Having said that, the only controversy he’s faced was his link-up with Kareena. “Yes, we’re working in Zoya Akhtar’s film together. And it has absolutely not affected our relationship. We shared a very good chemistry onscreen and it has always been fun working with her.”

And how does the star make time for family now that he’s a dad? “Fortunately, I have not been that busy for the past two months. I have had enough time to give to my work, and to Suzanne and Hrehaan. It’s been quite comfortable because I have been preparing and trying to learn the art of time management and I think I have succeeded somewhere as things are going pretty smooth so far,” replies Hrithik.

If one is to go by Hrithik Roshan‘s gut feeling, his next film Krrish could go the same way as Koi Mil Gaya. “I had the same kind of reaction as I had when I heard the script for Koi Mil Gaya,” says Hrithik, when we ask him what his initial reaction was when dad Rakesh Roshan made him hear the script. “It excited me in a second and my mind went into a state of frenzied visuals. I could actually see the scenes in the film, and I knew this is what was destined to be made.” And voila, you have the new desi superman flick all set and ready to release. Now if this one works too, we’ll know how to tell if a Rakesh Roshan flick will be a hit – just ask Hrithik!

Well, we all know how excited Hrithik Roshan is about Krrish. And of course, like any other actor of his calibre, the lad wants to get some positive and constructive feedback from people who really matter. He recently had a special screening of the film for Shah Rukh Khan, Karan Johar and a few other close friends from the industry. Now an opinion from one of the finest actor-director team will surely go a long way for Hrithik. Well, what the super-power King Khan had to say about Hrithik’s superman-like acts… you’ll get to know in a while!