Background

Ethnicity: Roshan was born to a Punjabi family; he is also of part Bengali ancestry from his paternal grandmother's side.

Hrithik Roshan was born on January 10, 1974, in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. His father, film director Rakesh Roshan, is the son of music director Roshanlal Nagrath; his mother, Pinky, is the daughter of producer and director J. Om Prakash. His uncle, Rajesh, is a music composer. Roshan has an older sister, Sunaina.

His original name is Hrithik Nagrath.

Education

Roshan was educated at the Bombay Scottish School. He then attended Sydenham College, where he took part in dance and music festivals while studying, graduating in commerce. He also studied acting under Kishore Namit Kapoor.

Career

Roshan's grandfather, Prakash, first brought him on-screen at the age of six in the film Aasha (1980); he danced in a song enacted by Jeetendra. He made uncredited appearances in various family film projects, including his father's production Aap Ke Deewane (1980). In Prakash's Aas Paas (1981), he appeared in the song "Shehar Main Charcha Hai." The actor's only speaking role during this period came when he was 12; he was seen as Govinda, the title character's adopted son, in Prakash's Bhagwaan Dada (1986). Roshan decided that he wanted to be a full-time actor, but his father insisted that he focus on his studies.

Roshan assisted his father on four films - Khudgarz (1987), King Uncle (1993), Karan Arjun (1995) and Koyla (1997) - while also sweeping the floor and making tea for the crew. After pack-up, Roshan would enact Shah Rukh Khan's scenes from Koyla and film himself to make a judgment about his performance as an actor.

Roshan was originally scheduled to make his screen debut as a lead actor opposite Preity Zinta in the cancelled film Shekhar Kapur's Tara Rum Pum Pum. Instead, he starred in his father's romantic drama Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000) opposite another debutante, Ameesha Patel. Roshan played dual roles: Rohit, an aspiring singer brutally killed after witnessing a murder, and Raj, an NRI who falls in love with Patel's character. To prepare, he trained with the actor Salman Khan to bulk up physically, worked to improve his diction and took lessons in acting, singing, dancing, fencing, and riding. With global revenues of $9 million, Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai became the highest-grossing Indian film of 2000. His performance was acclaimed by critics, and the film established Roshan as a prominent actor in Bollywood. The actor found life hard after his overnight success, particularly the demands on his time.

In his second release, Khalid Mohammed's crime drama Fiza, Roshan played Amaan, an innocent Muslim boy who becomes a terrorist after the 1992-1993 Bombay riots. Roshan appeared in the film to expand his horizons as an actor. Co-starring Karisma Kapoor and Jaya Bachchan, Fiza was moderately successful at the box office. He next appeared in Vidhu Vinod Chopra's action drama Mission Kashmir (2000) alongside Sanjay Dutt, Preity Zinta, and Jackie Shroff. Set in the valley of Kashmir during the Indo-Pakistani conflicts, the film addressed the topics of terrorism and crime and was a financial success. Roshan was drawn to his complex role of a young man traumatised by the discovery that his adoptive father had been responsible for the death of his entire birth family.

In 2001, Roshan appeared in two films, the first of which was Subhash Ghai's Yaadein, a romantic drama which paired him with Kareena Kapoor and reunited him with Shroff. Although highly anticipated, Yaadein was reviled by critics; in The Hindu, Ziya Us Salam criticised the director for relying on Roshan's commercial appeal. Roshan next had a supporting role in Karan Johar's ensemble melodrama Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham alongside Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, and Kareena Kapoor. He was cast as Rohan Raichand - the younger son of Bachchan's character who plots to reunite him with his adopted son - after Johar had watched a rough cut of Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai. Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham finished as India's second highest-grossing film of the year, and among the most successful Bollywood films in the overseas market, earning over $14 million worldwide.

In 2002 Vikram Bhatt's romance Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage reunited him with Ameesha Patel but failed at the box office, as did Arjun Sablok's romance Na Tum Jaano Na Hum (2002). Roshan's final role that year was in a Yash Raj Films production, the high-profile Mujhse Dosti Karoge! co-starring Rani Mukerji and Kareena Kapoor. The romantic drama was heavily promoted before its release and made money internationally, though not in India. In another commercial failure, Sooraj R. Barjatya's Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon, Roshan was cast alongside Kareena Kapoor for the fourth time, and Abhishek Bachchan. The press labeled Roshan a "one-trick pony" and suggested that the failure of these films would end his career.

Roshan's career began to revive with a starring role in Koi... Mil Gaya (2003). The film, directed and produced by his father, centers on his character Rohit Mehra, a developmentally disabled young man, who comes in contact with an extraterrestrial being. Film critics were polarised on their view of the film - some of them negatively compared its storyline to the 1982 Hollywood release E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial - but were unanimous in their praise for Roshan. The following year, Roshan collaborated with Amitabh Bachchan and Preity Zinta on Farhan Akhtar's Lakshya (2004), a fictionalised coming-of-age story set against events from the 1999 Kargil War. He also featured in the item number "Main Aisa Kyun Hoon" which proved popular with audiences.

Roshan was not seen on screen again until 2006, with three new releases, including a cameo at the end of the year in the romance I See You. He co-starred with Naseeruddin Shah and Priyanka Chopra in his father's superhero production Krrish. A follow-up to his family's production Koi... Mil Gaya, it saw him play dual roles - the title superhero and his character from the original film. Before production, Roshan traveled to China to train with Tony Ching for the cable work that would be needed to make his character fly. He sustained several injuries during production. Krrish became the second-highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2006 with worldwide revenue of $17 million.

He then appeared in Dhoom 2 (2006). Bored by playing the "good guy," Roshan was excited to play a villain for the first time. At the request of the film's producer Aditya Chopra, he lost 5.4 kg for the role, and learned skateboarding, snowboarding, rollerblading and sand surfing. With earnings of $22 million, Dhoom 2 became the highest-grossing Indian film of all time, a distinction it held for two years. In the 2007 melodrama Om Shanti Om, he made a cameo alongside several Bollywood stars.

In 2008, Roshan was cast in Ashutosh Gowariker's Jodhaa Akbar, a partly fictionalized account of a marriage of convenience between the Mughal emperor Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar (played by Roshan) and the Rajput princess Jodha Bai (played by Rai). Gowariker believed Roshan possessed the regal bearing and physique required to play the role of a king. For the role, he learned sword-fighting and horse-riding, and also took Urdu lessons. Jodhaa Akbar earned $16 million worldwide. Critics were generally appreciative of Roshan's performance. Roshan ended 2008 with an appearance in the popular item number "Krazzy 4" from the film of the same name.

Following a small role in Zoya Akhtar's Luck by Chance in 2009, Roshan starred in and recorded "Kites in the Sky" for the multi-national romantic thriller Kites (2010). In the film, produced by his father, he played a man running a green card scam in Las Vegas in which he has married 11 different women in exchange for money. Kites opened on a record-breaking 3000 screens and became the first Bollywood film to break into the North American top 10. However, the film eventually underperformed at India's box office and received negative reviews from critics. The website Box Office India attributed this failure to its multilingual dialogues.

Roshan then collaborated with director Sanjay Leela Bhansali on the drama Guzaarish (2010) in which he had the role of Ethan Mascarenhas, a former magician suffering from quadriplegia, who after years of struggle, files an appeal for euthanasia. Roshan had reservations about the role but agreed to the project after reading the film's story. To understand his role better, he interacted with paraplegic patients. He also trained with a Ukrainian magician to perform the film's magic stunts and put on weight to look the part. The film failed at the box office, though it and Roshan's performance were positively received by critics.

In 2011, Roshan appeared in Zoya Akhtar's ensemble comedy-drama Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara alongside Abhay Deol and Farhan Akhtar as three friends who embark on a bachelor trip where they overcome their insecurities. Zoya cast Roshan in the role of an uptight workaholic as she considers him her favorite actor. For the film's soundtrack, Roshan recorded the song "Senorita" with his co-stars and Maria del Mar Fernandez. Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara was released to positive reviews and Roshan's performance was praised. The film grossed $22 million worldwide and became Roshan's first commercial success in three years. Later that year, he made a special appearance in Farhan's Don 2.

Roshan's only screen appearance in 2012 was in Karan Malhotra's Agneepath, a retelling of the 1990 film of the same name. Cast alongside Rishi Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, and Priyanka Chopra, Roshan reinterpreted the character Vijay Deenanath Chauhan (originally played by Amitabh Bachchan), a common man who seeks revenge against an unscrupulous man for framing and murdering his father. Roshan was initially skeptical of taking up a role earlier played by Bachchan, and thought hard before accepting. He did not watch the original film for inspiration as he found his role to be completely different. In one of several accidents to happen during production, Roshan suffered a painful back injury. The film broke Bollywood's highest opening-day earnings record and had a worldwide gross of $28 million.

Roshan appeared in the third installment of the Krrish film series, Krrish 3 (2013), which also starred Priyanka Chopra, Vivek Oberoi, and Kangana Ranaut. During production, Roshan was injured when he fell down, which resulted in back pain. Critics thought that the film was entertaining but lacking in originality, though Roshan's performance garnered praise. Krrish 3 grossed $42 million worldwide, becoming one of the highest-grossing Indian films of all time.

Roshan received a fourth consecutive Filmfare nomination for his performance in the 2014 action comedy Bang Bang!, a remake of the 2010 Hollywood release Knight and Day and one of the most expensive Bollywood films. Playing the role of an eccentric secret agent who plots to track down a terrorist, Roshan became the first actor to perform a flyboarding stunt in the film. While filming in Thailand, Roshan suffered a head injury from a stunt accident and underwent brain surgery to relieve a chronic subdural hematoma. The film earned $49 million in global ticket sales, making it among the highest-grossing Indian films.

For playing the role of a farmer in 2016 BC who travels to Mohenjo-daro in Ashutosh Gowariker's Mohenjo Daro (2016), Roshan was paid $7.2 million, a record-breaking remuneration for an Indian actor. He underwent a three-month training to achieve the "lithe" and "agile" physique required for his role. Despite being a highly anticipated release, it failed commercially, and critics were generally unenthusiastic. Roshan was next seen alongside Yami Gautam in Sanjay Gupta's Kaabil (2017), a romantic thriller about a blind man who avenges the rape of his blind wife. To ensure authenticity in his portrayal, Roshan locked himself in a room for four days and avoided contact with people. Reviews for the film were generally positive with particular praise for Roshan's performance. The film accumulated $28 million worldwide.

Roshan has completed filming for Vikas Bahl's biographical film Super 30, which is based on the mathematician Anand Kumar. The release date of the film is July 12, 2019. He has also confirmed to appear alongside Tiger Shroff in Yash Raj Films' project called Fighters, set for release in October 2019. He will also appear in the fourth installment of the Krrish film series, Krrish, 4 set for a release in Christmas 2020.

Roshan has performed on stage, appeared on television, and launched a clothing line. His first tour (Heartthrobs: Live in Concert (2002) with Kareena Kapoor, Karisma Kapoor, Arjun Rampal, and Aftab Shivdasani) was successful in the United States and Canada. At the end of that year, he danced on stage with Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Kareena Kapoor, Rani Mukerji, and Shah Rukh Khan at Kings Park Stadium in Durban, South Africa in the show Now or Never. In 2011, Roshan served as a judge alongside Farah Khan and Vaibhavi Merchant for the dance competition reality show, Just Dance. He became the highest-paid film star on Indian television after he was paid $290,000 per episode. The show ran from June to October 2011. In November 2013, Roshan launched his clothing line, the casual wear brand HRx.

Following his debut film, Roshan signed on for endorsement deals with Coca-Cola, Tamarind and Hero Honda, all for three years and for at least $430,000. As of 2010, he is celebrity endorser for such brands and products as Provogue, Parle Hide and Seek, Reliance Communications and Hero Honda and recently Roshan has completed six years with Rado. The Times of India reported that Roshan received $170,000 $220,000 for each endorsement, making him one of the highest-paid male celebrity endorsers. In 2016, Duff & Phelps estimated his brand value to be $34 million, the eighth highest of Indian celebrities. In 2017, Roshan was signed as the brand ambassador of a Health and wellness startup Cure.fit and is touted as one of the largest endorsement deal signed by an Indian startup.

Achievements

• 

  Hritik Roshan is acknowledged in the media as one of the most talented Indian actors of his generation, for his devotion to his work and for his ability to commit heavily to each role. He is among Bollywood's highest-paid actors. In a 2014 article Daily News and Analysis credited him as "the most bankable star" in Bollywood. One of the most high-profile Indian celebrities, he was named the second most powerful Indian film star by Forbes in 2001. He ranked fourth in Filmfare Power List in 2007. In a 2009 poll conducted by Daily News and Analysis Roshan was voted one of India's most popular icons. At the 2009 FICCI-IIFA Awards, Roshan was one of the ten recipients of the most powerful Bollywood entertainers of the 2000s. From 2012-2018, Roshan was placed on Forbes India's Celebrity 100 - a list based on the income and popularity of Indian celebrities - peaking at ninth position in 2014 with an annual income of $12 million.
  
  Roshan has established himself as a sex symbol and a style icon in India. In 2006, Roshan was one of the four Bollywood actors, along with Priyanka Chopra, Kajol and Shah Rukh Khan, whose miniature dolls were launched in the United Kingdom, under the name of "Bollywood Legends." He topped The Times of India's listing of 50 Most Desirable Men in 2010 and ranked among the top five for the next five years. In 2010 and 2012, the Indian edition of GQ included him in their listing of Bollywood's best dressed men.
  
  A life-size, wax figure of him was installed at London's Madame Tussauds museum in January 2011, making him the fifth Indian actor to have been replicated as a wax statue there. Versions of the statue were installed at Madame Tussauds' museums in New York, Washington and other cities in the world.
  
  Roshan regularly features in the magazine Eastern Eye's listing of the 50 Sexiest Asian Men. He topped the list in 2011, 2012 and 2014, and featured among the top five in 2010, 2013 and 2015 to 2018.

Works

More photos

• movie

  • Kaabil

    (Kaabil is a 2017 Indian Hindi-language action thriller fi...)

    2017
  • Krrish

    (Krrish is a 2006 Indian superhero film directed, produced...)

    2006
  • Jodhaa Akbar

    (A sixteenth century love story about a marriage of allian...)

    2008
  • Agneepath

    (When his father is hanged by an evil drug lord Kancha Che...)

    2012
  • Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

    (The story about three old friends, Kabir, Arjun and Imraa...)

    2011
  • Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham

    (Yashvardhan Raichand is a snobbish man, he breaks ties wi...)

    2001
  • Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage

    (This is the story of a girl who belongs to a conservative...)

    2002
  • Na Tum Jaano Na Hum

    (Na Tum Jaano Na Hum is a 2002 Indian Hindi-language roman...)

    2002
  • Krrish 3

    (Krrish 3 is a 2013 Indian superhero film, produced and di...)

    2013
  • Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon

    (Sanjana's family mistakes Prem Kishen for Prem Kumar and ...)

    2003
  • Lakshya

    (The film is about an aimless, jobless, irresponsible grow...)

    2004
  • Bhagwaan Dada

    (Khudgarz is a 1987 Bollywood drama film, produced and dir...)

    1986
  • Main Krishna Hoon

    (Main Krishna Hoon is a story of inspiration for those chi...)

    2013
  • Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai Bollywood

    (Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai is a 2000 Indian romantic drama-thrill...)

    2000
  • Kites

    (J is a Las Vegas hustler engaged to the daughter of the c...)

    2010
  • Yaadein

    (Yaadein is a 2001 Bollywood musical drama film written, d...)

    2001
  • Don 2

    (Don 2 is a 2011 Indian action thriller film co-written, c...)

    2011
  • Krazzy 4

    (A doctor takes her four mentally disturbed patients to wa...)

    2008
  • Mohenjo Daro

    (Mohenjo Daro is a 2016 Indian action-adventure film writt...)

    2016
  • Koyla

    (Koyla is a 1997 Indian action thriller film written, prod...)

    1997
  • Fiza

    (Fiza is a 2000 Indian crime thriller film written and dir...)

    2000
  • Om Shanti Om

    (Om, an aspiring actor, is murdered & is reincarnated into...)

    2007
  • Aasha

    (Aasha is a 1980 Bollywood drama film, produced and direct...)

    1980
  • Guzaarish

    (Ethan is a magician rendered paralyzed in an accident. He...)

    2010
  • Dhoom 2 2006

Religion

Roshan was raised in a Hindu tradition but seems to be a reluctant atheist. He said: "I’m not religious. I don’t visit temples. But I hope there is a superpower. Quite often I feel that there is no God. War, natural calamities, handicaps, suffering. When I see all this, I fear there’s no God. And the thought scares me shitless."

Politics

Roshan is quite light in the politics department. He doesn’t even seem to exhibit the existential angst in regards to politics that he does when it comes to religion.

Views

Roshan actively supports the Dilkhush Special School for mentally challenged children in Mumbai. In 2008, he donated $29,000 to the Nanavati Hospital for the treatment of stammering children. Roshan set up a charity foundation in 2009 that aims to work for handicapped people. He donates roughly $10,000 for charity every month, and believes that people should publicise their philanthropic work to set an example for others. In 2013, he took part in a festivity at Ghatkopar, whose proceeds went to an NGO supporting tribal girls suffering from malnutrition and starvation. Also that year, he donated $36,000 to help the victims of the 2013 North India floods.

Alongside other Bollywood stars, Roshan played a football match for charity organised by Aamir Khan's daughter, Ira, in 2014. The following year, he appeared with Sonam Kapoor in the music video for "Dheere Dheere," whose profits were donated to charity. Later that year, Roshan became the Indian brand ambassador for UNICEF and the Global Goals campaign's World's Largest Lesson that aims to educate children in over 100 countries about the Sustainable Development Goals. In 2016, Roshan and other Bollywood actors made donations for building homes for families affected by the 2015 South Indian floods.

Quotations: "When truth is on your side, you don't need support."

"Be patient. Patience is the mother of all virtues."

"I'm so curious about knowing the unknown; it can be scary, but I see it as a game."

"I've never let myself give up, because I believe in myself. I want to get stronger than I have ever been, and I will continue to tell myself that I can do it, no matter what the odds."

"Life hits you hard. But it takes you three seconds to decide if you are a superhero or not. I am."

"I am not a confrontational person. I have never had a fight in my life - neither with a man nor a girl."

"I believe if you are not rediscovering yourself and pushing boundaries, then you are not alive."

"I have been elevated to such a high status that the fall will be very steep."

"When my kids love my work, I feel elated and victorious; it means more to me than an Oscar. And when they are silent, I'm proud that they have a mind and perspective of their own and are courageous enough not to say things just to please me."

"After doing films like Krrish, Bang Bang, and Mohenjo Daro, Kaabil is one film where you can't lie at all. You can't be a hero. You have to be real. You have to be yourself. So that was a challenge."

Personality

During his growing years, Roshan had a huge crush on Madhubala and Parveen Babi.

Despite being so successful in his life, he is terrible at handling finances on his own, his ex-wife and mother take care of it.

Roshan is a fitness enthusiast and is very much conscious about his health and diet routine. Whenever he is ill and suffers from bad health, he gets depressed and starts working out at that moment, which reflects positive vibes in his life. Before making his film debut, he took bodybuilding classes from Salman Khan.

He motivates everyone to quit smoking, but there was a time when he was severely addicted to smoking. He told in an interview that Allen Carr’s publication - Easy Way to Stop Smoking, helped him a lot to quit this filthy habit.

He loves documenting his day-to-day life in a scrapbook, which is filled with a lot of pictures.

Roshan is an avid animal lover and had a pet pug named Puggy, and cats named Pearl and Tiger, who are no more. He also bought a beagle named Paris for his sons.

He holds a very disciplined image, but in his childhood, he was beaten very badly by Senior Roshan when he was throwing empty bottles at strangers from his terrace.

The actor is called Duggu by his close friends and family.

Physical Characteristics: Roshan's height is 5' 11'' (180 cm), and he weighs around 187 lbs (85 kg). His hair color is black, and his eye color is hazel green.

He has two tattoos on his wrists: a six-point star with a red circle on his right wrist, and the name "Sussanne" written in Indian on his left wrist.

Roshan was born with an extra thumb fused to the one on his right hand, which led some of his peers to avoid him. He has stammered since the age of six; this caused him problems at school, and he feigned injury and illness to avoid oral tests. He was helped by daily speech therapy.

He had a stammering problem in his childhood, due to which he used to bunk his school and oral test classes. However, he overcame it with the help of a speech therapist.

At the age of 19, he suffered from scoliosis, and he was told by the doctors that he would not be able to dance or act, but he struggled through his weaknesses.

Quotes from others about the person

• Suggu Kanchana: "Roshan is good. The ease and style with which he dances, emotes, fights, makes one forget this is his debut film. He seems to be the most promising among the recent lot of star sons we have been subjected to."

Interests

• dancing, animals

• Writers

  Allen Carr

• Sport & Clubs

  gym, cricket

Connections

On December 20, 2000, Roshan married Sussanne Khan in a private ceremony in Bangalore. Despite their religious difference - Roshan is a Hindu and Khan is a Muslim - Roshan says that he equally valued her beliefs. The couple has two sons, Hrehaan (born in 2006) and Hridhaan (born in 2008). They separated in December 2013 and their divorce was finalized in November 2014. Roshan and Sussanne maintained that they parted amicably.

Father:

Rakesh Roshan

Mother:

Pinky Roshan

Sister:

Sunaina Roshan

ex-spouse:

Sussanne Roshan

Son:

Hrehaan Roshan

Son:

Hridhaan Roshan

Grandfather:

Roshanlal Nagrath

Grandfather:

Jay Om Prakash

Uncle:

Rajesh Roshan

colleague:

Ameesha Patel

colleague:

Karisma Kapoor

colleague:

Jaya Bachchan

colleague:

Preity Zinta

colleague:

Kajol

colleague:

Kareena Kapoor

colleague:

Vivek Oberoi

colleague:

Priyanka Chopra

colleague:

Kangana Ranaut

colleague:

Tiger Shroff

References

• 100 Most Popular Male Actors in Hindi Cinema
  2018