Parmita Uniyal
New Delhi: In this ever-maddening war of raking in the moolah at box office, Hrithik Roshan has once again proved that when it comes to box office battles, he would always be a dependable star. His latest release War that hit the theatres on Gandhi Jayanti (October 2) also starring Tiger Shroff and Vaani Kapoor has smashed multiple records at the box office including the highest opener ever, and is showing no signs of slowdown.
Hrithik Roshan is one year short of completing two decades in the film industry (he debuted in 2000) and unlike most of his contemporaries, decided to go slow and steady rather than fizzle out and being called a one-film wonder. His body of work boasts of more successes than duds, more intense roles than frivolous, roles that required blood and sweat.
2000: the year when Hrithik Roshan arrived and raced ahead of Khan
Many fans would remember Hrithik Roshan’s spectacular debut in January 2000 opposite Ameesha Patel when his film Kaho Na Pyaar Hai, directed by his father Rakesh Roshan, became the biggest hit of the year at the box office.
That was the year when Amitabh Bachchan made a successful comeback on silver screen after revamping himself with Mohabbatein, Salman Khan was far from his Dabangg days and worked in romantic movies like Har Dil Jo Pyaar Karega, Kahin Pyaar Na Ho Jaaye and Dulhan Hum Le Jaayenge. The same year, Aamir Khan had delivered a massive flop Mela. But most importantly, it was the year of newcomers and as many as four newbies were launched. But Hrithik owned the year despite all the competition and raced ahead of even Khans.
Looking back, there was a lot of pressure on Hrithik before his debut. Amitabh Bachchan’s son Abhishek Bachchan and grand-daughter of Raj Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor made their screen debut with JP Dutta’s (of Border fame) Refugee in 2000. In their comparison not much was expected from Hrithik Roshan and Ameesha Patel’s debut.
When Hrithik stole Jr Bachchan’s thunder
Things changed drastically after Kaho Na Pyaar Hai, as Hrithik Roshan not only got noticed, but bagged two Filmfare for Best actor and Best newcomer. Ameesha Patel also benefitted from the success of KNPH, but Hrithik was unstoppable that year and became an overnight sensation. Abhishek on the hand delivered three flops in a row– Refugee, Tera Jadoo Chal Gaya (opposite Kirti Reddy) and Char Akshar Prem Ke (opposite Aishwarya Rai). Kareena, however, was appreciated for her acting chops and later went on to become a big star.
As for Hrithik, he delivered two more hits in his debut year– Khalid Mohamed’s Fiza, wherein he romanced Manoj Bajpai’s wife Neha and played Karisma Kapoor’s brother, and Mission Kashmir where he went bumbro with dimpled beauty Pretty Zinta and shared screen space with Sanjay Dutt. Hrithik’s fast forward journey to stardom and him being a complete entertainment package (dance, romance and intensity) landed innumerable film offers on his lap.
When Hrithik was tagged a one-film wonder
For an actor who has just debuted and seen three successful films in a row, it was difficult to choose the right roles considering all these offers were coming from big banners.
In the next three years, Hrithik’s career took a major hit as he delivered one flop after the other making his newly gained stardom lose its shine. Barring Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham where he did not play a central role, none of the films worked. After the failure of Mujhse Doste Karoge, Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage, Naa Tum Jaano Na Hum, Yaadein, Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon, it looked like Hrithik’s career would never recover from the massive blow.
But Hrithik returned to win hearts with Koi… Mil Gaya, which was not only a hit, but also critically acclaimed. A mentally challenged and child-like Rohit Mehtra befriends an alien Jadoo and gets super powers from him in return of his affection . It looked like Hrithik’s magical powers at the box office too returned with the film.
Arrival of Hrithik, the action hero
Hrithik’s next spell of success came in 2006 with the massive success of Krrish and Dhoom 2, both of them sequels. The aspiring king of romance re-discovered himself in action genre and recorded two biggest hits of the year. He left no stone unturned to make sure he hit the right chord this time.
From working with Chinese martial arts expert Tony Ching for Krrish to losing 5 kilos of weight for Dhoom 2 to look the part, Hrithik knew this was his chance to reclaim his lost stardom. His efforts didn’t go waste and once again he ruled the year with Dhoom 2 becoming the biggest hit of the year and Krrish too was the fourth highest grosser. Khans were left behind again as Shah Rukh Khan’s Don, Aamir Khan’s Fanaa and Rang De Basanti earned way less than Hrithik’s films.
Slow and steady wins the race
By now Hrithik had discovered his formula for success. He went the Aamir Khan way, choosing only the films that had meat in it and the chance for him to make the character memorable. Be it Ashutosh Gowariker’s Jodhaa Akbar (2006), Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Guzaarish (2008), or Zoya Akhtar’s Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011), he took time to slip deep into the skin of his character and earned critical acclaim.
Return of the star
His next big grosser was Agneepath, remake, where he had to step into the massive shoes of Amitabh Bachchan and play the iconic character Vijay Dinanath Chauhan. The actor interpreted the character in his own way and with support of some excellent actor like Rishi Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt and Priyanka Chopra, the film set the record of the highest opener ever.
Hrithik’s success streak continued with sequel of superhero film Krrish 3 as the film smashed record at worldwide box office. His work in Mohen Jodaro too was appreciated, although the film’s storyline was severely criticized. Of late Hrithik has gone off beat and has worked in simple yet soul -stirring films like Kaabil and Super 30. With the mega success of War, Hrithik has made a smashing comeback into the action masala genre. The actor will also be seen in Krrish 4 next.
RECORD CARD
1. Hrithik Roshan’s debut film Kaho Na Pyaar Hai was the biggest hit of 2000 and earned Rs 153.02 crore worldwide.
2. The actor’s Mission Kashmir in his debut year 2000 was the third highest grosser of the year with earnings of Rs 78.07 crore.
3. Dhoom 2 that featured Hrithik Roshan as an anti-hero smashed all box-office records of the year 2006 and grossed Rs 251 crore.
4. Krrish was the fourth highest earner of 2006 totaling Rs 127 crore at the box office.
5. In Karan Mehra’s 2012 film Agneepath, Hrithik Roshan re-created the iconic role of Amitabh Bachchan’s Vijay Deenanath Chauhan and the film set the record of the highest opener ever. Interestingly, the original film of the same name despite critical acclaim was a flop, while the reboot was a massive hit despite poor reviews by critics.
6. War holds the record of highest-opening day collection for a Bollywood film in India.
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