‘I danced to my heart’s content’

[1]

Image Thumbnail:

Talk about realistic acting. Hrithik Roshan, who plays the role of a magician and a paraplegic in his forthcoming movie Guzaarish, says that he could identify with his character easily because he was on a wheelchair for almost six months before the shoot of the movie. “After shooting for Jodhaa Akbar, I was on crutches for almost six months. I couldn’t move or do anything because my knees were hurting. I was completely disheartened and thought of giving up acting for good. I couldn’t get up from a chair without the help of my hands and was depressed that I wouldn’t be able to dance again. I saw many doctors in Mumbai and had taken all types of concoctions. For two years I was just running from one doctor to another. Even a small push would hurt my knees. It was then that Sanjay Leela Bhansali came to me with the script. I did not think twice before accepting it as I felt it would be my last film,” he says.
Well, Guzaarish will not only see him as a magician or a paraplegic but he will be seen doing some scintillating dance numbers. In fact Hrithik has also sung a song in the film. “I’ve learnt a few magic tricks, sung a song on Sanjay’s insistence and also danced to my heart’s content in the movie. I have literally unleashed my passions. I have never done a spin like this before. But more than all that, it was playing the paraplegic that touched my heart,” he reveals.
Playing the paraplegic patient has been very challenging, says Hrithik. “I interacted with a lot of paraplegic patients before taking up the film. We have now become friends and I am also taking care of them and will do so for the rest of their lives. They send me messages and talk to me and make me laugh. Before that I used to be irritable and edgy but they taught me to live. At times the role was exhausting but when I would think of these friends I would give my best shot,” he says.
Guzaarish will be Hrithik’s first film with director Sanjay Leela Bhansali. “Before I started working with him, people told me that he was a task master. I am a very sensitive person. I cannot act when someone shouts at me. Hence I had decided that if he shouts at me on the sets I would quit. But I never had a better experience.”