Rohit from ‘Koi Mil Gaya’ was extension of my real self: Hrithik Roshan

Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan took a stroll down memory lane as the iconic film "Koi… Mil Gaya" reaches its 20th anniversary today. The movie, which emerged in 2003 as a pioneering concept in Indian cinema, saw Roshan not only delivering a box office triumph but also showcasing his acting prowess by portraying a specially-abled individual whose life transforms when an extraterrestrial being lands on Earth.

On this significant milestone, Hrithik Roshan delved into his emotional connection with the film, stating, "I had a deeper connection with my inner child while shooting the film. That's something that I miss. Then I miss Jaadoo, there is an emotional connection that I have with him. Being a part of 'Koi…Mil Gaya' wasn't a conscious decision to enhance my career. It was a decision taken solely from my heart."

Recalling his initial thoughts about the role, he shared, "How I would play Rohit, what I would do.. all that hadn't even crossed my mind when I agreed to do the film. I remember being stimulated just hearing the idea for the very first time. When I started shooting, it was a journey full of exploration. I learnt what all drove me as an actor and became more clear on the kind of films I wanted to be a part of in the future."

In a discussion about his favourite behind-the-scenes moments, Hrithik opened up about the film's intersections with his real life, particularly his character Rohit's parallels to his own experiences.

"Rohit as a character was an extension of my real self. It is from a lesser-known time of my life, my school days. I used to stutter since childhood, and just like in the film, not all people would be sensitive to my speech limitation, and that would lead to instances where I was bullied. In fact, the scene where the bullies break Rohit's scooty in 'Koi…Mil Gaya' had happened to me in real life," Hrithik recollected.

He continued, "Some senior boys had broken my BMX cycle, which was my most treasured possession as a child. I was heartbroken, it made me angry. Just like Rohit, there were a lot of bottled-up emotions within me. I derived the nuances of Rohit's character from my own childhood. I believe the honesty and reality of the situation is what was seen onscreen."

Hrithik also recounted the process of bringing the endearing character Jaadoo to life. Australian artists James and Lara materialised Jaadoo's appearance based on a description provided by Hrithik's father, Rakesh Roshan. This initial sketch marked the beginning of a lengthy journey to create a tangible animatronic character. Operating via remote control, Jaadoo's intricate wiring required months of meticulous crafting. Scenes involving Jaadoo demanded hours of precise synchronisation between manual controls and emotional expression to capture the intended feelings on screen.

"During the shoot, we would often take about 4 to 6 hours to shoot a single scene with Jaadoo as the eyes and hands had to be manually synced to bounce back the emotions that were being exhibited in the scene. So it was a tedious task, retake after retake, but Papa [Rakesh Roshan] ensured that by the end of each day, we had a shot that perfectly synced," Hrithik said.

Turning to the iconic song "It's Magic", Hrithik Roshan revealed that he had the most fun while shooting this song.

"Rohit's dance moves had to be similar to his body language throughout the film. Rohit walked a little differently, moved in a certain way, tilted his head at a certain angle, expressed a lot through his eyes, and had a certain 'I can do it all!' attitude, with a lot of perseverance. I had to imbibe all these peculiarities of Rohit into his dance, too," he explained.

Ganesh Hegde choreographed "It's Magic" after closely observing Hrithik Roshan's embodiment of Rohit's character.