Despite turning into an overnight superstar, there was a time when Hrithik Roshan wished to quit films after assailants shot his dad, Rakesh Roshan.
Hrithik Roshan is one such name in Bollywood that needs no introduction. Despite coming from a family which records a rich legacy of film-making, Hrithik had strived to make his own path from scratch. He did it all without any boost from his family, or especially his father, and renowned actor-turned-filmmaker, Rakesh Roshan.
The actor, who made his blockbuster debut in 2001 with the film, Kaho Na… Pyaar Hai has skyrocketed today to become one of the biggest actors of Bollywood, and a heartthrob of millions of fans out there. However, there was once a moment when the actor had wanted to quit films out of guilt. Well, for the unversed, right after the overwhelming success of his debut film, Kaho Na… Pyaar Hai, Hrithik had to endure a phase of personal tragedy, as his father had been shot at by unknown assailants out of jealousy of his success.
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While Rakesh Roshan was un-harmed and was merely wounded, it ook a deep impact on Hrithik. He even refused to celebrate and enjoy the success of his debut film. In an old interview with BBC, Hrithik had spoken about that phase and had recalled:
“I had not even begun to enjoy the success of my film and this happens. I was waiting for trade papers to say KNPH was a hit. And we got to the Friday, and I was going to have a party, but before that dad got shot. He had a bullet in his chest and his arm; I remember he called me up because he was concerned whether I was okay. In his mind he was wondering if there was a simultaneous act.”
Further during the interview, the actor candidly opened up about his true feelings during that particular moment in his life, where he wished to withdraw from acting, as he felt guilty about being the reason for his dad's attack. In his words:
“I wanted to withdraw from acting, at that time I was shooting. I had to honour my commitments, so I went ahead with that. There was this dance rehearsal for this song ‘Bhumro’ from Mission Kashmir, so I was doing that, and I was dancing, and I caught my reflection in the mirror and suddenly I stopped. I thought my father is in the hospital, ‘why am I doing this’ you know. I am dancing? I just felt very dirty inside…That assassination attempt was somehow related to the success of the film KNPH, somebody got upset you know. It was the movie business. My heart just…I didn’t want to do films anymore. I just came home, but then the family spoke to me, and I realised if I quit, they win. It was the easy thing to do, to quit, it was harder to go on, to keep the show going,”
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Hrithik also revealed the unheard details of the particular moment when his father informed him of getting shot at. He recalled how even in pain, his dad acted bravely and decided to inform the police about the attack, rather than admitting himself to the hospital. Hrithik mentioned:
“I was training in the gym at the time, he called me up and he says, ‘where are you?’ He sounded scared. He told me not to move, and then he said ‘I got shot, I don’t know how it happened. Two guys came and shot at me, and now am going to the cops.’ I thought he should be going to the hospital. But he was so angry, he didn’t want to let those guys get away. So he drove to the police station and those guys took him to the hospital and he collapsed there. The bullet grazed the wall of his heart and stopped right next to his sternum, it got lodged there.”
Well, thankfully as Hrithik did not actually go ahead and quit films, it allowed us to see more of his incredible performances on the screen to date!
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