Interview - Hrithik Roshan

"I like the challenge of being bad," Hrithik told reporters over the phone from Hong Kong where he is training for the sequel to his enormously successful Koi... Mil Gaya .

A villain has so much more to do than the good hero, says Hrithik, who will appear in films after a long hiatus. He is in Hong Kong right now learning the technique of flying in the air with invisible wires seen in martial arts films like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon . The technique, he says, is something being used in Hindi cinema, but not properly.

"These guys out here in Hong Kong have perfected the art. I plan to take it a step further in my dad's new film," says the actor who is being trained by Tony Ching of Shaolin Soccer fame.

Dwelling on his personal life, he says he is no more a child and has grown up, but is not yet ready for fatherhood.

There's a lot of 'action' in your life right now?

Yeah yeah, Dhoom 2 is going to be a thriller. Though I'm training predominantly for my father's film, the new skill will definitely help me throughout my life and career. I'll continue to train even when I return to Mumbai.

But why a villain's role?

I like the challenge of being bad. Apart from Yashraj Films being such a reputed banner, I see a great deal of honesty and integrity in their work. My role in Dhoom 2 sounds like a great deal of fun. It instinctively excited me. It's the kind of suave villain's role that I've been longing to do for quite a while. It sounds like just the excitement I need in my career. My character in Dhoom 2 is going to be very, very entertaining. Playing a villain is very multidimensional. Comparatively, playing the good hero is quite boring. A villain has so much more to do.

Please don't make a career out of playing villains!

You never know, ha ha. If I get as excited about another villain's role I just might take it up again. I start my father's film first and then Dhoom 2 . There will be minimal overlapping. I'm very excited about getting back to the sleepless nights that come with working again.

Aren't you a little nervous about playing the bad guy?

When I did Koi...Mil Gaya everyone said we were going into territory that everyone had failed in. I was warned that a sci-fi flick about an alien was alien to Hindi moviegoers. But I did Koi...Mil Gaya and it worked. Now I'm being warned that sequels don't work in India. But I am doing two sequels even though I know sequels have always failed in India. I can't remember one sequel that has worked. But the challenge of doing something that hasn't succeeded so far attracts me. I want to walk on a road where no one has been before. I believe we should've sequels in Hindi. No one dares because they failed.

What exactly are you training for in Hong Kong?

This technique of flying in the air with invisible wires, seen in the Hong Kong martial arts movies or The Matrix / Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon , is something we've been using in Hindi cinema for a few years, but not properly. We tried it in our own home production Koi...Mil Gaya . But I wasn't satisfied with it. These guys out here in Hong Kong have perfected the art. I plan to take it a step further in my dad's new film.

I'm being trained by Tony Ching who's done films like House Of Flying Daggers and Shaolin Soccer . We actually wanted the Warchowsky Brothers who did Charlie's Angels and Matrix 2 & 3. They've hit big-time in Hollywood and were therefore beyond our budgets. Ching is still in the wings. He has had only one major hit, The Hero with Jet Lee .

How much of Ching's expertise will go into your film?

It depends on what our budget allows us. The idea is to provide our audiences with the kind of action sequences never seen in Hindi cinema. Compared with what we plan to do in the sequel to Koi...Mil Gaya , the earlier film, was just a teaser trailer. My dad and I plan to go somewhere the film industry has never gone before. Actually I needed 75 days. I can only give 20 days to the training. Ching is very happy with me. He thinks 20 days will suffice. He paid me quite a compliment. He says I'm 10 times faster than any actor he has trained.

So isn't the sequel a safer bet than Koi...Mil Gaya ?

It's entirely up to the emotions that we project in the sequel. The action scenes can only be the appetiser, not the main course. Great action without a well-told story is meaningless. Even in an out and out action film, the stunts work only if the emotions do. My dad and I are very conscious of this pre-condition for our film. What I'm training for in Hong Kong is certainly not going to be the main event in our film. Our film is certainly not an action flick.

In Dhoom 2 you pair with Aishwarya Rai for the first time?

Yes, from the feedback that I get people are looking forward to seeing us together. Of course, finally it's the characters that work. Let's hope our characters justify our presence.

You made a rare appearance with your wife Suzanne on "Koffee With Karan" recently.

Yes, and I was very nervous, and it showed. Though she was completely in control I was nervous for her sake. I suddenly felt protective towards her.

Are you frightened by the number of breaking marriages in Bollywood?

I'm very secure in my marriage. It's not for me to judge other people's marriages. But it's sad when things go wrong between two people. God bless those who are going through the trauma.

Are you still too much of a child to start your own family?

No, no. No more a child. I've grown up. But I'm yet not ready for fatherhood.