- (2000): "I am glad I have the intelligence to understand what is happening to me. If I allow myself to get affected by all this hype, I'll stunt my growth as an actor and be damned for life. I know that I still have a long way to go before I can even aspire to equal the achievements of any of the superstars. I know I am good at my job, and I am sure I will be damn good one day but right now, I also know how bad I can be."
- (February 2006): My big dream is to take our cinema to a world platform. The idea of acting in a Jackie Chan film doesn't excite me. That's betrayal.
- (July 2006): One mistake we always make is to ape the West. We attempt films that we think they will like. The true crossover films are Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2003) and Life Is Beautiful (2000), where the director goes entirely by his conviction, culture, community and conditioning. I am hoping, not just for me and my father and family, but for Indian cinema that Krrish (2006) will succeed, so we can envision an even bigger extravaganza. We want to afford that freedom to take our cinema higher. I believe we are very close now to getting noticed on a world platform.
- (June 2010 -- Q on dance and acting) I am an actor and dance is one of the things I do, one of the expressions of my acting. Like sometimes I have a tear in my eye, sometimes I say fast dialogues, sometimes I jump off buildings, and sometimes I dance. If one expression is appreciated more than the other, then that's somebody's point of view. I don't consider dance my forte. I do it like I do everything else -- struggle to make it my best.
- [recalling, in 2009 as an adult and successful actor, his childhood battle to overcome a crippling stammer] I suffered with a speech problem, and it took me a long, long, long time. It's been the hardest kind of struggle for someone who wants to be an actor. But I got the help at the right time, and now I'm -- here. So miracles do happen! I want to tell all the families out there, the children who are struggling and living without hope, to just believe enough -- and look at me. You can change your life!
- [Questioned in January 2017 about his favourite car -- among a personal garage known to also contain a Ferrari Modena, Maserati Spyder, and Rolls Royce Ghost Series II] I think at the moment, it's got to be my MINI Cooper. The reason simply is that my kids love it and it's a great car for a dad to take his kids on a ride.
- On Parenting - I'd say that I am a guide to them (Hrehaan and Hridaan), a friend to them and a father to them. Different things at different times.
- Hrithik has the fluidity and rhythm to move effortlessly through songs. I think he got this sense of rhythm from his grandparents. His grandfather was a great composer and his grandmother a very good singer. His uncle Rajesh Roshan is a well-known composer and even Hrithik's father Rakesh has a very good music sense. His musical heritage comes alive in his dance moves. Hrithik's a brilliant actor too. Woh itna sundaracting karta hai ki main hairaan ho jaati hoon. (Translation: I am stunned by his acting.) I think his greatest gift from God is that he looks very innocent. His eyes are so deep and transparent: Lata Mangeshkar
- I really would want to create and shoot an anthem with all the flags of the world. That film would be played in cinemas across the world before a movie begins and have all the people from various countries stand up for each other's flags as 'One World'. Can you imagine how that would unite us! Can you see the pride in that! How beautiful that would be!
- My grandfather, my nanaji, J. Om Prakash is my other role model. He is someone I have tried to emulate and I hope to be like him when I am his age. His silent strength, his wisdom, is amazing. I haven't come across a more well read man than him. There's a peace and calm and serenity about him that is wonderful. When I am with him, I instantly become a student. I just sit and watch and listen to him and he always has something educating and inspirational to tell me... Something from his past, some incident that happened, or some book that he has read. He always tries to instill some good quality in me. I look forward to meeting him and sometimes when I am not able to meet him, I feel starved for his company, of the things that he teaches me. He has influenced me a great deal.
- If I had a son I'd like him to be Hrithik. His eyes speak volumes. His body language and his whole demeanor is breathtaking. Main to fidaa ho gayi. Actor ho to aisa (Translation: I am in love with his work, actors should be like him): Shabana Azmi
- Creativity should never the about money. True, money is at the centre of our existence. But it is not all-important. There are other things which make life richer, which have nothing to do with money. If you measure money against your desires, you will always be poor. But if you measure money against your needs, you will always be rich. Money should be a means to an end, not an end in itself. People always react to what they see. And they give according to what they see. If they see a hungry man, they will give him food, if they see a poor man, they will give him money, if they see an angry man, they will shun him and if they see a promising man, they will give him opportunities. That's human instinct. Instead of showing your anger and frustration and helplessness at the struggle you may be going through, show them your promise and do it with a smile.
Be honest with yourself. You have to be brutally honest with yourself first, to be sure whether you have it in you to make it. That was the first thing I did. I took a good, hard look at myself to see if I had the potential.
There was an acquaintance of mine who struggled in the industry for about five to six years. He never got a decent job. When he was 29, he left India and went to America and today he is a millionaire. I used to keep telling him, maybe this is not meant for you, maybe you're meant for something else. But he was relentless and he was hung up about making it in films. Now he tells me, 'Hrithik you were so right. I wish I had not wasted those seven years of my life!' My point here is, if you are not getting where you want to in the first two years, if you have not even started off, then there's something else meant for you. Chase another dream! - 'Half your life you work at becoming famous. And when you do, you hide behind dark glasses!' - Al Pacino
Again, this applies to an unfortunate few. There are certain actors who are very, very shy people. When they start off, they realize they can be extremely confident behind the mask of a character. When they become stars, the fame and popularity compels them to stand before the world as themselves with the same amount of confidence and they are unable to do that because they are so used to a mask! Suddenly when stardom happens, you become greater than the character and everywhere people want to know about you, want more of you. Many times we don't feel that confident and so we don't want to be in that limelight. We want to hide away because we don't consider ourselves as good as what we are in the film...Greek God good looks, perfect emotions, those are actually just a mirage.
Even I went through the same thing right after Kaho Naa...Pyaar Hai. But once I accepted that I could never be as good as what I portray on screen, I found a lot of peace within. It's okay not to be as good. The image is one thing and a human being another; it's also very hard to live up to another image. Infact, I would go so far as to say that it's futile. Basically it is very unintelligent if you get mixed up between the persona and the person. Of course it's a trap that a lot of fools fall into as actors.
Somewhere this trying to hide away arises from insecurity too. You want to make your fans happy. You want them to be impressed by you and you don't think that the way you are in real life is good enough to you put on an act. You speak with a deeper voice or you start walking with a swagger, a little frown on your forehead just to show what a lot of weight you have on your shoulders because you are a star. I know this because I was doing exactly these things for a while after Kaho Naa...Pyaar Hai's release.
One day, I was in Delhi surrounded by fans, signing autographs and playing Raj from the film to the hilt. I had done that character to perfection in my head and it wasn't a tough act. So I was putting on this whole Raj act, talking and signing autographs and being a star when suddenly I saw my parents standing a little ahead, watching me from a distance. I was so embarrassed because I knew that they knew the truth about what and who I really am. I felt so ashamed at that moment. In an instant I just threw my hands up, I drew a breath, sat down and went back to being myself. I started talking like myself, being a fool and not being too hard on myself for allowing myself to be a fool. And things just became so much easier and I started enjoying myself. That was a whole load off my shoulders. - It's not a privilege to be born as a rich and famous man's kid, mostly it's a disadvantage. You tend to become lazy and complacent and used to luxury. Where Hrehaan and Hridhaan are privileged is in their being born to a father who has experienced ups and downs and acquired a humble sense of life and the world. And if you have space, these few additions are also great.
- I guess when you detach yourself from issues that you thought were humongous and put yourself in perspective, like when you see that even the solar system can be just a dot and insignificant in the universe, it kind of gives you a spiritual edge, and so the only thing that becomes important in life is feeling good about yourself. So whether you're searching for things that you're passionate about on the ground floor or 100th of the evolution ladder, your soul will only be stimulated if your eventual goal is happiness, not fame and riches.
- Hrehaan and Hridhaan are pure angels and pure delight. Unfortunately, they are not naughty and that keeps me a little concerned as I too, was not naughty as a kid.
- There will be durations where you will be out there and not see them for days on end and that's the time you should feel stronger about yourself that you are working to provide for them. When I miss them too much, instead of feeling too bad, I rephrase it and tell myself that I am doing this as I am a provider. And they will be better people knowing that they had a strong father who went out there and provided for them. Love should never disempower you. It should empower you even more.
- I am so full of love that it's not possible I won't find love.
- I was the most unlikely candidate to become an actor.
- Good looks is not really about eyes, ears, nose, mouth, construction... it's about expression. There are lots of faces that are very beautiful, but if you don't express right, then it's of no use. But it doesn't hurt that people find me nice looking (smiles).
- My sons. They were the only source of some sort of happiness for me. I had to create a world for them that gave them the hope that their dad would be all right. I didn't want them to see that their father had been beaten. My mission now is just to make them happy.
- A line from my favourite poem goes: If you can meet with triumph and disaster... and treat those two impostors just the same.
- You have to be stupid to not be humble. We are all mortals. And whatever power is bestowed upon us has been done by others.
- Feelings are temperamental, they change everyday. I base my life on outcome and results. Every day I wake up, and set myself four things to do, which I have never done before or are difficult, even impossible. At the end of the day I tick them off. If I've accomplished what I set out to do, I sleep like a baby.
- I'm feeling centered and content. At peace with myself. I'm finally owning my space. I feel like I'm journeying back to the person I was.
- Well, let's put it like this... if I ever write a book, Bang Bang and my personal ups and downs during this period will be the interval point of the book. The second half of my life will be the ... (pauses for a while) the better part of my life (smiles).
- I am so happy with where I am and who I am right now that if I change even a single thing; it would change the truth of who I am. So, I wouldn't change anything. I am very happy and proud of every single experience I have had.
- Stammering is something that's never left my mind. I still can't watch the King's Speech.
- Highs and lows are part of life. When you are on a high, you have to learn to ride that wave and enjoy it. And when you're low, you should learn to gain perspective, use your sense of humour and laugh even harder.
- My character. Everything you do in life is with the sole purpose of building a character. If you have grown from every situation positive or negative, then your character is built. But if you're still blaming God and complaining about your circumstances still, then your character is not even defined.
- My bond with my boys is true and strong, not just because they are my sons, but because we three are perfectly cast in characters that get along so well when we are together. Nothing remains special if you are not constantly pushing your imagination to discover and invent possibilities. Fatherhood didn't just happen to me, I am deliberately living it, re-imagining it and rediscovering it every day. It is as beautiful as I make it, just like anything else in life.
- I make peace with it when I see the first copy of my film. I have never been surprised with the fate of my film. It's all done in my head.
- I am an explorer, an adventurer... what the world fears, I want to conquer. You can expect the unexpected from me.
- It depends on which illusion you choose to live by. If you focus only on yourself, you would be sad. But if you focus on others, you can be happy. You can create love and it will fill you..
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