Winter 2010

HRITHIK’S ‘AGNEEPATH’

BY KEVIN REGO

The Krisshh star is battling a broken heart

Ten days before Christmas last year, the news of the separation of the superstar Hrithik and his wife Susanne punctured the otherwise joyous and celebratory air in the season of joy. Fans found it hard to believe this was really happening to their ‘Krissh’. “Why?” was the question on most people’s minds and lips!

This was after all Hrithik Roshan, the guy who could do no wrong and took pains to make sure that everything around him was perfect. He was always in pursuit of perfection. Sometimes he overdid it. When it came to his films he seemed to work tirelessly to get into the skin of the character. And it showed. Hrithik always, it seemed, delivered honest performances. Be it a Dhoom 2 where he plays a thief or Agneepath, for which he took on the burden of playing a role done by none other than the Big B, Hrithik delivered two remarkable performances.

There is an aura about him. Never mind the Greek God looks; his august screen presence, his conduct in public, and his interviews to the press made him endearing to say the least; and then there’s the small matter of his dancing which is the envy of almost every Bollywood actor.

Add that to what seemed the perfect family life. A gorgeous wife and two adorable kids. Hrithik was living a dream and Bollywood fans, tired of the Khan trio’s shenanigans, adored him. Besides an odd alleged fling, there were no tales of philandering. His co-stars spoke highly of him and he had worked with almost every A list director in the industry.

So the news of their separation had everyone in shock. It was almost as if someone was writing a script and felt the need to spice it up. Except this was real.

Last month the alleged alimony of a whopping 400 crores demanded by Susanne (roughly 80 million dollars or 50 million pounds) sent another shock wave. The couple were quick to deny this. As the saga gets played out in the ever-preying media, both Hrithik and Susanne have shown tremendous maturity and refrained from taking any digs at each other.

So how did it come to this? Theirs was a fairy tale romance. Both belonged to renowned families in the industry and love was in the air from a very young age. The story goes that Hrithik apparently saw her at a traffic signal in Mumbai and was smitten at that very moment. He would go on to enact that scene with his co-star Amisha Patel in his debut hit Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai in 2000. The film became a monster hit and Hrithik became the heartthrob of the nation. Yet six months after the release, Hrithik chose his love over everything else and tied the knot in Bangalore amongst close friends and family.

‘It was almost as if someone was writing a script and felt the need to spice it up. Except this was real.’

The craze, the never before seen adulation the countless women swooning over the new star was in no way getting to him. His marriage to Susanne also put to bed the stories of his relationship with Kareena Kapoor, which was then the talk of the town. Not surprising then that the two have never acted together since his marriage. And even Karan Johar’s attempt to bring the two together for his now always-in-the-news Shuddhi failed after Hrithik turned it down.

So what went wrong? Bollywood marriages are littered with ungainly stories mostly run by the media, which includes daily newspapers that have turned into rags. However, the news that all was not well in the Roshan household dates back to 2009 after the release of Kites and the rumours about his alleged affair with his then co-star Barbara Mori. Susanne moving bag and baggage to her parent’s house at that time was put down to ‘house renovation’ at the Roshan’s residence. However, it seemed all hunky dory as they were soon seen at fashion shows and other social gatherings together.

Last year, Susanne’s absence at the Roshan’s annual Lord Ganesh celebrations raised eyebrows. It was the beginning of the end. The press had a field day by playing guessing game as to what was happening with the couple. After they went public with the news there was the Arjun Rampal angle for the relationship going sour.

The ‘Krissh’ star on his part is not getting into all this and putting up a brave front. He flew to perform at the IIFA’s a couple of months ago, has got himself immersed in his work and finished shooting for Bang Bang with Katrina which is slated for release in October, takes time to visit his now ex in-laws and does not waste an opportunity to spend time with his boys.

All this with a heavy heart “Susanne is and always will be the love of my life for the rest of my life. If her smiles are brighter without me, my love for her must accomplish that,” he has said after the news of the separation. Perhaps, a little bit filmy but who has the right to judge a broken heart.

For now, Hrithik can take solace from that famous poem Agneepath written by Harivansh Rai Bachchan and which he himself narrated in the film by that name. The poem talks of walking in the path of fire courageously despite all the obstacles around. His die-hard fans have no doubt he will come through this!