Road to super-stardom: What makes Hrithik Roshan the most underutilized superstar?
Hrithik Roshan will possibly be remembered as the last actor who was given the superstar status even before the release of his debut film, Kaho Na Pyaar Hai directed by Rakesh Roshan.
Kaho Na Pyaar Hai acted as a perfect launch pad for Hrithik Roshan which was packaged with ample of commercial elements and chartbuster music. Songs like ‘EK Pal Ka Jeena’, ‘Kaho Na Pyaar Hai’, ‘Na Tum Jano Na Hum’ were a rage among the audiences much before the film release.
Jr. Roshan did not only get a huge reception from audiences, he seemed to have all that one required to be a star. He also brought in one extra X factor. His amazing dancing talent. Before Hrithik Roshan, not many were known for their dancing skills but most of the actors from the younger lot are now trained dancers. Call it the Hrithik Roshan impact, if you like. Along with the charisma, even dancing has become an essential need to be a superstar post Hrithik.
While Hrithik Roshan had his own share of blockbusters in the form of Krrish, Dhoom 2 and Krrish 3 in his career spanning 17 years, he is probably the most under-utilized superstar. Apart from Rakesh Roshan, the directors have time and again failed to tap onto the real potential of Hrithik Roshan: the star as well as the actor.
In reality, Hrithik Roshan’s audience pull is much bigger than Akshay Kumar and the opening day numbers of his films like Krrish 3, Bang Bang, Agneepath are the testimony to this fact. However, his poor script sense entangled with poor release strategies has hampered his positioning in the industry by a considerable extent.
Hrithik Roshan’s top 5 grossers:
- Krrish 3: Rs 203 crore
- Bang Bang: Rs 161 crore
- Agneepath: Rs 122 crore
- Kaabil: Rs 101 crore (All Versions)
- Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara: Rs 93 crore
Roshan is great looking and still has age on his side.. He has proved his versatility as an actor by taking up films like Koi Mil Gaya, Guzaarish, Jodhaa Akhbar, Kaabil, Fiza and Mission Kashmir. Despite having three of the most important criteria of being a superstar i.e. good looks, ability to act and audience support, the actor is unable to pick up subjects that appeal to a wide section of audiences.
Another factor holding him back is the frequency of films. While Aamir Khan taking two years for a film makes sense as he assures a certain level of quality, the same doesn’t apply to Roshan as he a few times has invested two years of his life on wrong films like Bang Bang and Mohenjo Daro which did not do any good to him as an actor as well as a star.
Sky is the limit for Hrithik Roshan if he chooses the right script from here-on. With a Kabir Khan Film and Krrish 4 in pipeline, Roshan is definitely on the move to rectify all the mistakes made in the past.
First published: 25 March 2017, 14:36 IST
