1974– 
ACTOR INDIA
Oh, I’m never satisfied. I’m always trying to aim for more, I’m a perfectionist. Honestly, sometimes when people praise me, I want to tell them to stop it. Call me modest or whatever, I’d rather let my work speak for me.
—HRITHIK ROSHAN
Six-year-old Hrithik stood nervously among all the adult actors. His grandfather had asked him to dance in the movie he was producing, Aasha, and although Hrithik was excited for it, what if he messed it up? At least I don’t have to say any lines, Hrithik thought. Ever since his oral exam at school earlier that year, he stuttered every time he had to say something important. But this was just a dance, and Hrithik was good at that.
As the music neared his cue, Hrithik began tapping his foot with the beat. Then the cameras were on him, and his body flowed into the first steps of the dance. Before he knew it, the scene was over. Relief washed over him, and then adrenaline. Hrithik realized that he had just filmed his first part in a movie!
India used to be called Bombay, so when the movie industry started to thrive there in the early 1900s—not long after Hollywood was gaining momentum—people put the B from Bombay on the front of the word HOLLYWOOD, and Bollywood was born.
Hrithik’s family wasn’t new to the movie industry. His parents, Rakesh and Pinky, were both Bollywood actors in India, and his grandfather was a producer. Hrithik had spent the first six years of his life backstage at his family’s movie sets. Now that he’d had a role in one too, he was hooked! Hrithik started dreaming of being a movie star. But his father wasn’t sure that was such a good idea. After all, it’s not easy to make it in the movie biz.
Instead of signing Hrithik up for acting classes, Rakesh enrolled his son in speech therapy and told him to focus on school. Hrithik hated school, though. They were always scheduling him for oral exams, and every single time, he stuttered. The kids laughed at him. He got so frustrated that whenever a teacher set him up for an oral exam, Hrithik skipped school. But the speech therapy helped. The more Hrithik practiced the exercises his speech therapist assigned, the less he stuttered, and that made him happy. Someday, he’d show his classmates that he could talk just fine. Maybe he’d even prove it to them on the big screen!
Even though his parents didn’t encourage Hrithik to pursue a career in acting, they were still happy to have him help with their movie projects. When he was twelve, he acted in a fight scene in Bhagwaan Dada with his father. He also acted as an assistant to his father, making sure he had everything he needed to do his best in front of the camera.
At his parents’ insistence, Hrithik earned a bachelor’s degree in communication at Sydneham College. They urged him to continue his studies at a foreign university, but Hrithik had another idea—he was going to secretly take acting classes! He was dedicated and studied every aspect of movie making—screenwriting, cinematography, and, of course, acting.
When he unveiled his new acting talent to his family that year, they were delighted. His father asked him to help with the screenplay for his newest movie, Kaho Naa . . . Pyaar Hai (Say . . . You Love Me), and then, to Hrithik’s delight, invited his son to play the lead role! In the movie, Hrithik plays a young man named Rohit, who falls for Sonia. Together, they are surprisingly caught up in life-threatening scandals. After Rohit is murdered, Sonia meets Raj, who looks just like Rohit (and is also played by Hrithik). Raj and Sonia dodge more dangerous situations until they get to the bottom of the corruption.
Hrithik said working for his dad on KAHO NAA . . . PYAAR HAI was like working for a completely different person. At home, Rakesh was relaxed and affectionate, but on the movie set, he demanded excellence. Hrithik attributes his dedication and professional work ethic to his father.
The movie was a huge hit. It made more money in India than any other movie that year, and it won eight Filmfare Awards. Hrithik won both Best Actor and Best Debut. At just twenty-six years old, he was a megastar. The dream he’d set when he was six years old had finally come true!
The media went berserk about Hrithik’s role in Kaho Naa . . . Pyaar Hai. They called him a heartthrob and a stud, adored by young and old alike, and even went so far as to make his name an acronym: Handsomely Real Internationally Tested Hot Indian King. The country went so crazy over Hrithik, the phenomenon was called hrithikmania. Yet, with all this media attention, Hrithik stayed levelheaded:
I have seen people being lifted to the skies and then being pulled down, mercilessly, by the media, when it suits them. So I am neither elated by their pampering now; nor will I feel deflated when they bring me down, as they must. I hope to maintain a rational balance, without being swung around by the media. . . . The point I am making is that, even at this young age, I have seen it all and so know what is coming—I know I am no “phenomenon”!14
Hrithik decided that the dawn of his success was a good time to marry his longtime girlfriend, Sussanne Khan. They said their vows in December of 2000, and girls across the country were green with envy.
Hrithik wasted no time lining up future movie gigs. The public’s expectations of Hrithik were incredibly high, though, and not all of his movies in the first few years were deemed successful. But Hrithik didn’t let this get him down. He worked that much harder in future movies to ensure his directors and fans were happy.
Hrithik’s favorite Hollywood actor is Sylvester Stallone.
In 2003 Hrithik worked with his father again on Koi . . . Mil Gaya (I Found Someone): Bollywood’s first science-fiction film. In it, Hrithik plays a developmentally disabled young man whose father used to communicate with aliens but died before he was born. When Hrithik’s character grows up, he accidentally summons the aliens his father had contacted years before. The film was launched at the Jerusalem Film Festival and the Denmark NatFilm Festival, and then in Indian theaters. Once again, the crowds loved it. The movie won three National Film Awards and five Filmfare Awards, with Hrithik taking the trophies for Best Actor and Critics Award Best Performance.
In 2011 Hrithik joined the international dance talent search Just Dance. He and his team held auditions across India, the United States, and the United Kingdom looking for dancers to share the stage with him. Dancers were slated to learn groovy moves from Hrithik and then to compete in front of judges for the title of ultimate dance champion.
Hrithik continues to be passionate about acting and movie making. Since 2000, he’s played in more than two dozen films and continues to develop his art. “I am an actor first, a star after,” he said. “I want to experiment with all kinds of characters. I certainly don’t want to be stuck with just one kind of screen persona.” And he still holds his status of heartthrob. When a wax statue replicating his chiseled muscles and intense gaze was unveiled in 2011, fans jumped at the chance to pose for photos with Hrithik—or at least a realistic replica.
I would like to be a famous baseball player. I enjoy the game. Like when I’m up to bat sometimes, or when I play the catcher position and I try to throw someone out who is stealing a base, I get an adrenalin rush. My goal if I make it to the MLB is to change the way people look at the game of baseball. Kinda like Babe Ruth did. I would change the game by being one of the best players yet.
CHRISTIAN NEEDHAM 
AGE 13